Bloodstream (Guilty Pleasures)
by youngfolly
Summary: Laura Hollis is a homicide detective who has the best one night stand of her life, but with the worst possible person.
1. Chapter 1

"Are you kidding me!?" Laura asked in a panic, her eyes darting around the 'bar' Danny had insisted they check out together. "This is a strip club!"

"Duh." The taller girl laughed, "I told you it was called Teasers... what'd you expect?"

"What if someone from work sees us!?"

"That's ridiculous, no one from work would be caught dead in a place like this."

"Exactly!" Laura hissed from under her breath as Danny led them through the dark, sleazy establishment.

They weren't breaking any laws by being there, but that did little to ease Laura's worries. She was the department's best detective, and it had taken years for her to garner the respect she deserved. The last thing she wanted was to throw that all away by getting spotted in a place like this.

"I'm leaving." Laura huffed with a shake of her head, turning towards the exit.

"Hey." Danny whined, grabbing a hold of her friend's elbow, "Just give it a try." She pleaded, her cool blue irises softening and her full bottom lip jutting out in a pout.

Laura rolled her eyes and tried to pull away, but Danny's grip only tightened. This was ridiculous, Danny should have known better than to bring them to some sleazy strip club in downtown Seattle. There were so many great clubs and bars, why the hell were they wasting their time in a place like this?

"You need to let go and have some fun." Danny insisted, dragging Laura over to a secluded corner where they could speak more privately. She released Laura's elbow and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to put on a stern look.

"We have fun at regular clubs all the time." Laura complained, her eyes wandering over Danny's shoulder and landing on one of the topless dancers. Her stomach clenched and she swallowed. Oh god. She cleared her throat, shifting her gaze back on Danny in attempt to ignore the telltale signs of desire.

"I don't mean that kind of fun," Danny raised an eyebrow and made a scissoring motion with her fingers. "I mean like..."

"Stop that!" Laura scolded, slapping away her friend's inappropriate gesture.

Danny giggled and rubbed the back of her hand, "I'm trying to help you out here... It's been what, like six months since you broke up with Carson? It's time to get back out there; you've been celibate for long enough."

"Not everything is about sex."

"It is when you find someone who can actually make you orgasm."

"Shh." Laura stretched up on her tip toes and covered Danny's mouth with her palm before looking around to make sure nobody was listening. "Not so loud." She chided, retracting her hand with an adorable blush.

Danny tried to hold her tongue, she really did, but in the end she just couldn't help herself.

"What kind of lesbian can't make a girl cum." The tall redhead mumbled with a smirk, "Talk about useless." She added a little louder, dodging a playful slap to the arm.

Laura shook her head in amusement, unable to hold back a smile. "Why am I even friends with you?"

"Because..." Danny threw her arm over Laura's shoulders, "I know what you need, even when you don't think you need it. Now come on there's a ton of sexy strippers waiting for you."

Laura sighed in defeat. As stupid as this idea was, she knew better than to argue. They wouldn't be leaving until Danny was convinced she'd at least tried to have a good time. Plus, if Laura were being honest with herself, there was a part of her that really wanted to let go and have 'fun'. It had been ages since she'd thrown caution to the wind and had a good time. She was constantly trying to prove herself as responsible and capable at work and the pressure of practicing control was starting to seep into her personal life. Over the last few years, she had become so focused on her detective work, she'd managed to completely abandon all aspects of life that didn't involve the homicide division of Seattle's Police Department. It wasn't the healthiest way to live and she knew that. Sooner or later she would have to give into her physical needs, and it looked as though tonight would be the night.

Trailing after Danny, Laura had no idea where to fix her gaze. Something about watching the naked women dance felt wildly inappropriate. She did her best to keep her eyes in neutral territory, but there were half-dressed strippers everywhere. Some grinded against poles, while others danced sensually on the laps of excited strangers. The situation was equally arousing and bizarre. Laura didn't know whether to feel turned on or grossed out. Then again she'd never been all that adventurous in the bedroom. Not that she was against spicing things up, it just so happened that all of her past partners had been strictly vanilla. Laura was more than willing to try new things... As long as she didn't have to be the one who initiated the conversation.

The two girls came to a halt near one of the smaller, less populated stages and Danny gestured for Laura to sit. Exhaling dramatically, the brunette plopped down onto the empty, red couch and looked around. Across from her, on a black couch, a man and a woman looked on as a dancer grinded seductively against a pole.

"I'll be right back." Danny said, waving over one of the waitresses.

"What!? You can't leave me here by myself!"

"Relax, it will only be a few minutes."

Laura opened her mouth to protest further, but the waitress had arrived. Danny ordered each of them a drink, then turned back to her friend. She handed Laura a few dollar bills and winked. "Have fun."

And just like that she was all alone.

* * *

"How much for a private dance?" Danny shouted over the loud music pulsing through the club's speakers.

"It's usually $30 per song, but for you I'd be flexible." The gorgeous dancer smiled, running her eyes over the other girl's tall, toned body.

Danny blushed, "Oh... it's not for me, it's for my friend." She looked over her shoulder and found Laura sitting wide-eyed and timid right where she'd left her only moments ago.

Poor thing stuck out like a sore thumb.

Back at work, Laura had a reputation for being the department's resident stickler, always following the rules and being stern. To her credit, the uptight persona had done its job. People respected Laura… even if they did think she was a boring purist. Off the clock Laura was shy and quiet, but the second she was solving a case she completely transformed into a determined, brave, protector. The contrasting personalities seemed to balance Laura out wonderfully, but it did take some getting used to. Take tonight for example, Laura was an absolute nervous wreck. If Danny didn't already know better, she'd never believe that Laura was the most formidable homicide detective in Seattle.

"That's her," Danny gestured, watching as the dancer's eyes landed where she was pointing

"She's gorgeous... but are you sure she's up for a private dance?" The stripper asked with a soft laugh, "Doesn't look like she's enjoying the place much."

"I'm sure." Danny nodded confidently, "She'll warm up, I promise. It just takes a minute or two."

"Alright, whatever you say."

Danny beamed, hopeful that this could be the stress relief her friend needed. "Awesome, I'll go tell her."

* * *

Sitting alone on the red couch, Laura had never felt more awkward in her entire life. At first, she had refused to objectify the women by throwing out money as they danced, but then she didn't want to come across rude. So, to avoid looking like a cheap asshole, she tried to place a few dollars in one of the girl's g-strings. Her nervous hands had fumbled awkwardly and in the end the dancer had just grabbed the money and tucked it away herself. As if that wasn't humiliating enough, the drunken man next to her had proceeded to laugh his face off, before asking if it was Laura's first time seeing a topless woman.

The whole situation was a mess, stripclubs were clearly not her cup of tea.

"Hey," Danny appeared out of nowhere, making Laura jump.

"Jesus, you scared me."

"Sorry." The redhead laughed, taking a seat next to Laura on the couch. "Guess what?"

"You've changed your mind and we're leaving?" Laura asked hopefully, knowing full well that was not the case.

"No silly... I just hooked you up with a private dance."

"Do I have to?" Laura whined, dropping her head into her hands. "I really appreciate the kind gesture but-"

"At least let me show you the girl first. If you still want to leave, then we can go. Deal?"

"Fine." Laura sighed lifting her head. She looked over to where her friend was pointing and swallowed.

"See, what did I tell ya," Danny grinned triumphantly "She's a babe."

"Wow...are you sure she's a dancer here?"

"Absolutely. Plus she totally thinks you're hot."

Laura bit her lip, weighing the pros and cons. She couldn't even remember the last time she did something like this (probably because she never had).

Another moment passed in contemplation before she exhaled in defeat. Perhaps it was time to let go and have some fun for a change. "Alright, I'll do it. But just one dance."

Danny did a little happy dance before patting her friend excitedly on the back. "Yay! Go have some fun!"

Laura let out a quiet whine of protest but stood up on shaky legs anyway. Taking in a deep breath she willed herself to relax.

 _Please don't let me regret this afterwards._

* * *

"How was it!?" Danny pried as Laura joined her at the bar looking rather flushed.

"Worst mistake of my life." Laura groaned before ordering herself a shot. The wetness pooling between her thighs was uncomfortably slick, and the ache accompanying the arousal was downright torturous. Never in her life had she been more sexually frustrated. "What's the point of strip clubs anyway? All they do is drive you mad and leave you insanely turned on." She complained, throwing back the hard liquor as it arrived, then wincing as it burned her throat. She'd never been much of a drinker.

"That good, huh?" Danny smiled, twisting around on her stool so she could scan the club. Her eyes landed on the dancer she'd propositioned for Laura and she sighed, "I don't blame you for being all hot and bothered, that dancer is seriously so sexy."

Laura glanced over her shoulder and laughed, "Nobody's stopping you from getting a private dance yourself."

"You think?"

"Ya, I mean you're obviously head over heals in love with the girl."

"Am not," Danny huffed with a playful glare, "I just think she's super cute."

"Go on." Laura let out a warm laugh, "I'll be here trying to drink away my sexual frustrations."

"You know what, you're right." Danny winked before downing the rest of her cocktail and sauntering off in the dancer's direction. "Shoot me a text if you need anything."

"Yep." Laura nodded, and just like that she was alone again. At least now she didn't feel as awkward or nervous. The alcohol running through her veins was doing a good job of loosening her up. If it wasn't for the throbbing between her legs, she might actually be enjoying herself.

"Another shot please," Laura called out to the bartender, smiling as she thought about Danny's eager departure.

"First time at a strip club?" A raspy voice asked from the seat next to her.

Laura glanced over and met the stare of a gorgeous brunette. "How did you know?"

"It's a gift." The girl shrugged, wrapping a set of full lips around her glass and taking a slow sip. The act should not have been as sexual as Laura perceived it to be, but it was. Her already stimulated core clenched and she shifted lightly in her seat, searching for some kind of relief.

Then, aware that she was staring, Laura cleared her throat and tore her eyes away from the stranger's mouth. In attempt to regain some composure, she took a quick drink from her own glass. This time when she met the girl's stare, she had her body back under control - for the most part. Raising a questioning eyebrow, Laura silently encouraged the stranger to elaborate on how she'd guessed it was her first time at a strip club.

"Fine, if you really must know, my friend is one of the dancers." The attractive brunette grinned slyly, "She doesn't have a car so I get stuck picking her up from work all the time. I know all the regulars by name, and I am certain that I've never seen you in here before... I would have remembered someone so ravishing", she added as a seductive after thought, tilting her head slightly to one side.

Laura's cheeks lit up in a hot blush at the woman's choice of words. She opened her mouth to respond but her mind seemed hazy, almost as if the stranger's gravelly voice had slipped her into some sort of trance. A knowing smirk tugged at the stranger's lips and Laura felt her heart pound a little harder against the walls of her chest.

With a shake of the head, Laura finally recovered and asked, "What's your name?"

The woman's chocolaty irises watched her in amusement, the dark orbs sparkling despite the dimly lit club. Laura found the sensation to be both mesmerizing and unsettling... something about the stranger seemed to scream trouble.

"Carmilla," The stranger answered with a flirty smile, her husky voice doing wicked things to Laura's state of arousal, "and you are?"

"Laura." The shorter of the two brunettes replied, grasping the stranger's outstretched palm in greeting. As her fingers enveloped Carmilla's slightly larger hand, she couldn't help but notice the soft strength of the digits. Without meaning to, Laura's mind drifted into dangerous territory as images of those hands doing dirty things played through her head like an erotic movie.

 _Woah there._ Laura had absolutely no idea where the wildly inappropriate fantasy had come from, they'd only just met for crying out loud. What the hell was wrong with her?

Hurrying to extinguished the improper visions, Laura ran a frazzled hand through the hair at her scalp. The unbridled sexual frustration was clearly starting to get to her head.

 _Get a hold of yourself._

As if sensing the direction of Laura's thoughts, the stranger broke out into a heart stopping smile. Thankfully she didn't comment on the awkwardly long hand shake, or the embarrassed blush that filled Laura's cheeks. Instead Carmilla chose to dismiss the uncomfortable moment with a question.

"So tell me, what's an uptight girl like you doing at a strip club?"

"What makes you think I'm uptight?" Laura frowned, her eyebrows drawing together in defense.

"You're wearing slacks. It's a dead give away."

"Since when?"

"You're kidding, right? They basically scream 'I'm boring and have no social life'."

Laura's jaw dropped at the girl's blunt nature, but she was happily amused nonetheless. Nobody had ever been so brutally honest with her; in a twisted way, it was sort of refreshing.

"That's a rude thing to say." Laura glared playfully, trying her best to look offended. A smile threatened to give her away and she bit down on her lip to mask it.

"It's true though, isn't it?"

Laura considered the girl for a moment, loving every moment of their banter. "I'm here because my friend thought it would be a good idea." She finally answered, running her fingertip around the edge of her glass.

"And was it?"

"I'm not sure."

"Why not?" Carmilla questioned, a little distracted by the other girl's playful fidgeting.

"Well," Laura dragged out, her amber eyes shifting to hold Carmilla's gaze. The alcohol was providing her with an unusual amount of confidence, especially considering how beautiful the stranger before her was, "At first, I was having an awful time, but then I got my very first lap dance, which was very... well, interesting. Now I'm talking to you, and I haven't decided how I feel about that yet." She teased with a casual shrug.

"Hmmm, I see." Carmilla ran her tongue over her lips to wet them before suggesting, "How about this, I'll buy your drinks for the rest of the night if you let me ask 10 questions of my choosing."

"And why would I want to do that?"

"So we can get to know each other. Besides, you're uptight remember? You could use some loosening up."

"Don't push it." Laura warned, giving a lighthearted glare. "Plus, that's totally unfair. You'll know all my secrets, and I won't know anything about you."

"Fine," Carmilla rolled her eyes in jest, "I'll let you ask me questions too."

"Wow, how generous of you." Laura exhaled dreamily, the sarcasm in her tone thick and cheeky.

Carmilla let out a throaty laugh that flowed through the air like warm honey, and for an instant Laura was lost in the sound. As the moment passed, their eyes locked and something more than words was exchanged. The atmosphere surrounding them grew tense, but in a pleasant and exciting way. Laura found herself taking in a deep breath to combat the light-headedness she suddenly felt.

"Alright, first question." Carmilla spoke softly, shifting in her stool so that she was closer to Laura. "What would be your weapon of choice in a zombie apocalypse?"

"You're joking right?" Laura burst out in laughter.

"I never joke about zombie apocalypses." Carmilla's right hand fell to her chest in mock offense. "It is a serious matter, and your answer will determine whether or not I want to entertain this acquaintance."

Carmilla took another slow slip of alcohol as she waited for Laura to answer. Talk about unfair, nobody should be allowed to make such a casual act look so sexual.

"I'm gonna have to go with a brain machine." Laura finally replied, pleased with her creative response. "If they had a food source, they wouldn't need to bother anyone."

"Amazing." Carmilla beamed, her eyes dropping to Laura's mouth before bouncing back up to meet her gaze. "Your turn."

"Alright, let's see here." Laura nibbled on her lower lip, trying to think of a good question. "What's one the worst things you've ever done?"

"Well, besides being wanted for murder..." Carmilla appeared to be teasing, but her dry sense of humor was difficult for Laura to read –she decided to laugh off the comment anyway.

"Let's see here, I once terrified a roommate in college by filling up a milk carton with fake blood as a prank. Poor girl nearly had a heart attack."

"Oh my god," Laura shook her head with a smile, "that is just pure evil."

"In my defence, the girl was a crazy, " Carmilla remarked, a smirk tugging at her full lips. "She had it stuck in her head I was a vampire or something."

"That's even worse." The shorter brunette laughed with a little unease. A distant warning alarm sounded deep in her gut but the magnetic attraction she had with the stranger was a much stronger force, and in the end she chose to ignore the faint nagging sensation. Instead she allowed the stranger to pull her in with each fleeting moment.

"What can I say, I'm a twisted individual." Carmilla breathed with a sly grin before asking the next question, "Tell me Laura, do you believe in the supernatural?"

"Um..." Laura trailed off, distracted by the sound of her name falling from such heavenly lips.

"Cat got your tongue?" Carmilla hummed and it was all Laura could do to hold back a rogue moan.

 _Seriously, what the hell is wrong with me?_

Blinking away the desire, Laura shook herself out of it. "Stop." she slapped Carmilla's arm playfully, trying to hold back a smile. "I'm not sure. I prefer to investigate stuff like that before taking a stance either way. " She concluded with a cute shrug.

"Oh?"

"Ya, I guess I'm a bit of a dork that way."

There was a brief silence that consisted of Carmilla relentlessly staring into her eyes. Laura had wanted to look away, but an invisible force prevented her from moving. Then, with a cheshire grin, Carmilla broke the trance. "I think I might be starting to like you."

"At least that makes one of us." Laura teased after a moment, finally allowing herself to loosen up.

"You say that now," Carmilla smirked, "But by the end of the night, you won't be able to get enough of me."

"Pretty full of yourself, don't ya think?." Laura chided with a smile, her gaze fixed on the girl's chocolatey irises.

"I'd rather be full of you, but I'll take what I can get." Carmilla responded, her voice raspy and dripping in sexual innuendo. A sinister grin tugged at her lips as she watched Laura shift and clear her throat. Leaning forward, she let her lips hover just over the shell of Laura's ear, "How about another drink." She whispered, grinning devilishly when the brunette took in a sharp breath and nodded.

 ***2 HOURS LATER***

"Can you believe that?" Laura asked, gesturing towards the exit.

"Actually, I can." Carmilla shook her head in amusement, "Danny is totally Victoria's type."

Talk about a coincidence. Apparently Danny really hit it off with the dancer that had given Laura the lap dance... little did they know, that dancer also happened to be Carmilla's best friend.

"I guess that means you're stuck with me." Laura teased with a sly grin.

Danny had driven her to the strip club, and now that she was leaving with Victoria, that meant Laura would have to get a ride home from Carmilla.

"I can't believe you got a lap dance from my best friend." The taller brunette chuckled.

Laura buried her head in her hands, an embarrassed blush heating her cheeks. "It wasn't my idea, okay?"

"Sure... whatever you say, Buttercup."

"Jealous?" Laura teased, bumping her thigh against Carmilla's.

"Not really." The girl shrugged, making them both laugh.

They had only known each other for a few hours, but Laura already felt more comfortable with Carmilla than she did most of the people she'd known for years. It was hard to explain, but something about the brunette's presence was oddly familiar. Conversation between them flowed easily without any awkward pauses or forced small talk. In fact, Laura had been so invested in what Carmilla had to say, that she'd hardly even touched her drink. It had been two hours and Carmilla was just now ordering them a second round.

"Here you go." The bartender smiled, reaching out to hand Laura her drink.

The next moment seemed to pass in slow motion as a drunken man stumbled into Laura's back, knocking the drink from her grasp. She watched in horror as the glass shattered on the bar, the liquid splashing out all over her shirt. Beside her, Carmilla gasped in surprise, jumping back to avoid getting wet. It had all happened so fast, by the time Laura turned to yell at the guy responsible, there was nobody there. She forced herself to take a few steadying breaths, it had been an accident after all... it just sucked that she was the only one suffering the consequences.

The women behind the counter began to apologize profusely, but Laura waved it away. If anyone should be sorry, it'd be the drunken idiot who had plowed into her side. Not only was her shirt ruined, but now there were little pieces of glass everywhere.

Sighing in frustration, Laura moved to help clean up some of the broken shards. "Dammit." She hissed, drawing back her hand in surprise as a particularly sharp piece pierced the skin of her pointer finger.

"Are you okay?" Carmilla worried, her voice somehow sounding even raspier than normal.

"Ya, it's just a little cut."

"You're bleeding." The taller brunette shuttered, taking in an uneasy breath.

"Don't tell me a little blood makes you queasy." Laura laughed, grabbing a napkin and pressing it to the small dot of blood leaking from her finger.

"No, uh… no, I'm fine." Carmilla closed her eyes and lightly shook away her discomfort. "We should go to the bathroom and get you cleaned up though."

"We?" Laura raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Come on." Carmilla offered a small smile, taking Laura's elbow and leading them in the direction of the bathroom. "Make sure you keep pressure on that." She instructed as they rounded the corner. "It'd be best to get that bleeding stopped as soon as possible."

"You act like I have a gaping wound," Laura teased as Carmilla ushered her into the ladies room, "It's just a tiny cut."

"Just keep pressing down with the napkin while I go get you a new shirt from Victoria's locker."

As Carmilla turned to leave, Laura took a moment to inspect herself in the mirror. Luckily she'd chosen to wear a black blouse this evening, so her top wasn't completely see-through. If it wasn't for the fact that the material was pasted to her like a second skin, then you wouldn't even be able to tell she was soaking wet. Shaking her head, Laura released a frustrated breath. She'd always had the worse luck. Things that would never happen in a million years to most people, seemed to happen to Laura on a daily basis... unless of course it was something good, then it never worked out.

As the seconds turned to minutes, Laura became impatient. The material was incredibly uncomfortable and she couldn't wait to take it off. Eventually, she decided to go ahead and disregarded Carmilla's orders. Throwing away the napkin pressed against her cut, she began to unbutton her shirt. In the end, she'd only got halfway done before Carmilla came barging back through the door.

"All I could find was this–" The brunette stopped mid sentence when she saw Laura fumbling to open the buttons of her shirt, "Hey, I thought I told you to wait." She scowled, a low growl rumbling in the back of her throat.

"You have no idea how uncomfortable this is." Laura huffed gesturing to her wet shirt, not bothering to look up. An irritated sigh slipped from her lips as the fourth button refused to pop open.

"Here, let me help." Carmilla exhaled in exasperation, crossing the room in three large steps. She tore a piece of paper towel from the dispenser then stilled the girl's movements by placing her hands over Laura's. Their eyes met, "Press this on the cut." Carmilla insisted, handing over the white towel.

Laura rolled her eyes with a huff. "I can take care of myself."

"That's not the point."

"No? Then what is?"

Carmilla couldn't help but smile at Laura's sassy side, "The point is that I'm here, and I want to help. Does that bother you?" She asked curiously.

"No"

Carmilla adopted a smug grin. Tilting her head to the side, she took a moment to study the girl's tense features. "Unless you have something against me undressing you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, not at all." Laura breathed out almost too quickly, her pulse quickening at the thought.

The atmosphere buzzed with underlying sexual tension as Carmilla shifted closer. "Interesting" She dragged out, her hands slowly making their way down the buttons of Laura's shirt. Her fingertips brushed against the skin of the shorter brunette's chest as she popped open one button at a time. When she got to the last one a mischievous grin appeared.

A quick slide of Carmilla's fingers and Laura's shirt fell open, revealing the tan, creamy skin of her abdomen. Biting her lip, Carmilla ran her eyes over the tight muscles of Laura's stomach. As her gaze lifted to the swell of Laura's breasts under her black, lacy bra she raised an appreciative eyebrow. Meanwhile, Laura's heart hammered excitedly against the walls of her chest. She watched in anticipation as Carmilla inspected her exposed torso. The brunette's eyes turned almost black with lust, like a panther who had locked in on its prey. Laura couldn't help but shiver as the taller brunette ran her fingertips along the sensitive skin just above her hip bone. Then lifting her hand, Carmilla moved to trace the length of Laura's collar bone, before gently pushing the shirt off her shoulders. The fabric fell to the floor with a quiet thud and Laura sucked in a breath.

Waiting to see what Carmilla would do next was torturous. Laura felt restless yet paralyzed; never in her life had she been so painfully aroused. As Carmilla leaned forward, pressing their chests together Laura struggled to remain standing. Her legs felt like jello, the wetness between her thighs returning in force.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" The stranger whispered against the shell of Laura's ear. The heat from the girl's exposed torso was leaking through the thin fabric of Carmilla dress, and she too felt unsteady with need. The palms of her hands found the naked skin of Laura's back and she pulled their bodies closer together.

"My place or yours?" Laura asked breathlessly, melting into Carmilla's embrace.

"Neither... there's a hotel down the street." Carmilla took a step back reluctantly so that she could help Laura put on Victoria's shirt. Then interlacing their fingers, she gave a sexy smile, "Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

The butterflies in Laura's stomach took a tumble as she felt Carmilla's palm come to rest on the small of her back. Guiding her into the elevator with a gentle push, she then leaned across to press the button for the 19th floor. The tension between them was so thick, Laura struggled to fill her lungs with oxygen. She wasn't usually such an anxious person, but something about the way Carmilla carried herself was completely unnerving. Reading the brunette was almost impossible, she had a mysterious disposition that was both exciting and disturbing. Laura's entire life revolved around constantly being one step ahead of everyone. With Carmilla, she had absolutely no idea what to expect. The girl was completely unpredictable.

Trying to hide her nerves, Laura took a deep breath and watched the numbers indicating the floor level climb.

2…

3...

4...

Carmilla's hand snaked around to rest on Laura's right hip.

5...

She shifted, pulling Laura a little closer.

6...

7...

8...

The brunette leaned over, her hot breath dancing against the sensitive skin of Laura's neck, "Not having second thoughts are you?"

"Definitely not."

"Good." She rasped, sending an excited shiver down Laura's spine.

9...

10...

A sly grin graced Carmilla's face as she slowly turned to face the other girl, "So tell me...do you like to be fucked, Laura? Or do you prefer to do the fucking?" She asked bluntly.

Overcome with surprise and lust, Laura found herself at a loss for words. Carmilla began to take small steps in her direction and Laura retreated slowly, her eyes locked on the dark ones approaching. As her back collided with the cool metal wall she took in a sharp breath. At this point her heart was beating so fast she could feel the pulsing sensation in her fingertips.

It was as if a switch had been flipped and now all of Carmilla's sexual energy was spilling out, threatening to sweep Laura away in the currents.

"I hope it's the former, because I've been imagining all of the different ways I could fuck you all night." Carmilla whispered as her hands pressed against the walls on either side of Laura's face, trapping the girl in the corner. "If not, we could always take turns. First I'll fuck you, then you can fuck me. How does that sound?"

Never in her life had Laura been so turned on by a sentence. No one had ever spoken so crudely to her, and after discovering the effect it had she hoped it wasn't the last time. "I think that sounds nice." She stuttered, making her inexperience with dirty talk evident.

"Nice?" Carmilla teased, grinning as a hot blush crawled up Laura's neck and face.

"I.. uh.."

"You know what I think?" Carmilla whispered, leaning in so her lips were only a breath away, "I think that you're barely holding it together. I bet if I touched you right now, you'd fall apart."

Laura swallowed.

11...

12...

"See," Carmilla smirked, tracing a line from Laura's collarbone down to her waist, then back up again. "You're actually doing a very good job of keeping it together, I'm impressed." Her eyes fell to Laura's lips for a quick moment before she peered back up and met the girl's dazzling amber gaze. "But I can see it in your eyes, why not just give in already?"

That was a good question, certainly one Laura had no interest in exploring. At this point, the throbbing ache between her thighs had become nearly unbearable. The desire in Carmilla's dark eyes had set a fire deep within Laura's core, and sooner or later she was going to explode. Trying to fight the urge now would only be prolonging the inevitable.

13...

A look was exchanged and an imaginary force seemed to pull Carmilla forward. Closing the gap between them, she watched hungrily as Laura's lips parted in anticipation.

14...

"Do you want me to touch you?" Carmilla asked in a seductive whisper, smirking when the girl nodded in response. "Turn around." She instructed softly.

Eager to please, Laura shifted so that her front was pressed up against the wall of the elevator. An excited gasp slipped from her lips as Carmilla took in a hand full of her hair and tugged gently. Moving at an excruciatingly slow pace, the taller brunette leaned forward to place a light kiss against the heated skin of Laura's neck. She let her lips linger for a moment before giving in and tasting the salty flesh with her tongue.

"Fuck." Laura moaned as something sharp, probably teeth, scraped against a particularly sensitive area.

15...

16...

"Spread your legs." Carmilla whispered, her free hand snaking around to the front of Laura's waist before slowly drifting down to touch her over the grey slacks. Even through all of the material, Laura was unbelievably responsive and found herself spasming lightly when Carmilla's fingers drifted further between her legs.

She shifted on her feet, desperate for more contact. The way Carmilla was so feral and demanding had Laura practically shaking with desire. For once in her life she didn't feel the need to step in and make sure things ran smoothly, she knew that Carmilla had everything under control. Instead of worrying about what to do next, all of her focus was on the passion igniting deep within.

17...

"You're already so sensitive," Carmilla moaned, pressing a series of wet kisses from Laura's jaw down to the crook of her neck. Every once in a while she would nip at the delicate skin –not hard enough to break skin, but hard enough to draw out soft cries– then she would soothe the stinging flesh with her tongue. Most definitely there would be marks later, a thought that made Carmilla's chest fill with pride. Tonight she would have Laura completely and, in the morning, there would be evidence to prove it.

18...

"I'm going to do so many naughty things to you." Carmilla promised, her voice becoming increasingly husky and deep.

"Like what?" Laura panted as Carmilla continued to rub her over the material of her pants.

"Depends... how do you want it?" Carmilla asked, struggling to keep her composure. Laura's ass felt unbelievable pressed up against her, and it took all she had to not lose control.

"Inside." Laura panted, reaching a hand back to grab a hold of Carmilla's head. "I want your fingers."

"Hmmm. That does sound very naughty." Carmilla whispered, pressing her palm harder against Laura's core.

"Oh, yes." Laura moaned, tensing in pleasure. The sensation almost brought her to her knees, but Carmilla slipped a strong thigh between her legs just in time.

"Not yet." The taller brunette husked, knowing they didn't have much time.

19...

All too soon the elevator dinged, indicating they had reached their floor. Carmilla glanced over her shoulder in disappointment before retracting her hand . "I guess you're going to have to wait." She sighed with regret, smirking as she saw the frazzled expression on the other girl's face.

Laura hurried to straighten herself out. "I don't know if I'll be able walk." She half-joked, using the wall for balance as she turned around. Without Carmilla there to hold her up she felt terribly unsteady. Every nerve in her body was buzzing in excitement and arousal, she was so beyond turned on at this point, it was becoming painful.

"Come on." Carmilla laughed, leaning in to place a quick kiss against Laura's lips before taking her hand and leading them down the hallway to their room.

The walk helped soothe some of the throbbing between Laura's legs, as well as the nerves in her stomach. Having Carmilla's warm palm pressed against her own was surprisingly comforting, and she found herself feeling considerably relaxed. As they entered the suite, she couldn't help but admire the impressive sway of Carmilla's hips. The girl was unbelievable; the type of stunning that made people want to worship the ground she walked on. By far the most beautiful girl Laura had ever met.

After turning to shut the door and engage the lock, Laura twisted back around to find Carmilla eyeing her appreciatively. A blush heated her cheeks, and she felt the butterflies in her stomach reignite in excitement. As her eyes took in the gorgeous stranger, Laura thought about jumping her right then and there, but figured it would be best to not rush things. Trying to prolong the air of anticipation, she averted her gaze, taking in the immaculate hotel room.

"This is beautiful", Laura noted, walking past Carmilla so she could look out the giant windows that offered a panorama view of Seattle's skyline. "I can't believe you booked us the luxury suite." She shook her head in disbelief, taking in the picturesque cityscape.

"A special occasion calls for special circumstances." Carmilla grinned, kicking off her high heeled shoes.

"I wish you'd let me pay for half."

"No way."

"Come on," Laura whined, not bothering to turn around, "If you don't let me pay, then it makes me feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman."

Carmilla plopped down on the bed with a warm laugh, "Hey, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a good prostitute", she grinned, pulling up her dress so she could unhook her garter belts.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that", Laura turned around slowly, her body nothing more than a silhouette against the large expanse of glass. When her eyes landed on Carmilla she sucked in a breath, "Woah, that is so… hot." She exhaled, watching as the brunette unfastened the lingerie one at a time.

After removing both stockings, Carmilla pulled the hem of her dress back down and stood up from the bed. As she stalked over, Laura waited in anticipation. The distance between them grew smaller and smaller, the air around them electric and sizzling with sexual energy. It occurred to Laura that, without heels on, Carmilla was much shorter and far less intimidating, which made her smile.

"What?"

"Nothing." Laura replied, slowly backing up towards the glass.

"Tell me." Carmilla squinted, her eyes dropping to take in the masterpiece before her. The way the Laura's perfect body was silhouetted by the gorgeous backdrop of Seattle's skyline was simply breathtaking.

The question was quickly forgotten by both of them as Carmilla closed the gap, sealing Laura up against the giant window.

Carmilla's lips parted, expectant, her dark eyes filling with a familiar lust. Moving slowly, she reached down to intertwine their fingers before bringing them up over Laura's head to press against the glass. Running her tongue across her lips, she leaned in to place a series of kisses along Laura's jawline, slowly making her way to the girl's parted lips. They kissed long and hard, exploring each other's mouths in an unhurried passion. Each time their tongues collided, Laura felt herself melting into the girl's embrace. Mind hazy with lust, she lost herself in Carmilla's addictive taste. Time seized to exist, along with everything else, and the only thing that mattered was following her desire down the rabbit hole. She could care less where it took her, as long as she was in Carmilla's hands it was bound to be amazing.

After several minutes, Carmilla drew back breathless, "You are so fucking sexy." She husked before lowering her mouth to Laura's throat where she sucked and licked the flesh with fervor. Completely in tune with the girl's body, she thrusted a thigh between her legs, offering support and pressure. There seemed to be an effortless connection between them that was unlike anything either of them had ever experienced before. Almost as if they were able to anticipate each other's every move.

Placing one last kiss against the bottom of Laura's throat, Carmilla lifted her head, "You have too many clothes on." She remarked, reaching down to remove the brunette's shirt. The material got caught for an instant on Laura's head and they shared a laugh before discarding the fabric on the floor.

As her naked back pressed up against the cool glass, Laura shivered, "We should move to the bed."

"Why, no one can see us."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Carmilla grinned, "But we can move to the bed if you want." She offered, pressing her thigh more firmly against Laura's core. The girl let out a breathy moan at the movement and closed her eyes in pleasure. Their lips clashed again, more sloppy than before, and Laura's train of thought derailed. All that mattered was the taste and feel of Carmilla's lips dancing against her own.

Reaching down, Carmilla grabbed the back of Laura's right leg and wrapped it around her hips. Thrusting forward she pinned the girl harder into the glass, her hands roaming up and down Laura's sides. The skin beneath her fingertips was soft and warm and Carmilla let out a quiet moan of approval. Then, growing impatient, she bent down to lift Laura completely off the ground, her hands gripping Laura's ass to hold her up.

"Oh." Laura gasped, interlocking her ankles behind the girl's back. A triumphant grinned graced Carmilla's face at the sound as she carried her across the room with ease. She tossed Laura onto the bed, eliciting a cute squeak.

Raising up on her elbows, Laura watched as Carmilla's dark eyes drank her in, the lust in her gaze fiery and unrestrained.

Carmilla crawled up on the bed, placing a quick but passionate kiss against the girl's lips. "These need to go." She smiled, moving to unbutton Laura's pants.

"What about you? I'm starting to feel way underdressed here."

A laugh slipped from Carmilla's lips as she tugged the slacks off Laura's hips and tossed them carelessly to the floor. "I get to fuck you first, remember?"

Laura swallowed.

"That means I am in charge." The girl continued, leaning down to make a trail of kisses up Laura's leg. When she got to the mid thigh she bit down softly, eliciting a quiet whimper. Then, releasing the flesh, she licked her lips and glanced up to meet Laura's vibrant amber eyes. They shared a look that spoke volumes and Carmilla smirked, "I'm going to make you cum so hard. By the time I'm done with you, my name will be the only thing you can remember."

Laura closed her eyes and sucked in an eager breath, letting her head fall back against the mattress. Every nerve ending in her body stood at attention, begging to be touched. Carmilla's soft lips kissed along her abdomen but Laura needed so much more. Growing impatient, she waited and waited for Carmilla to do something to ease the tension, but it seemed the girl was only making it worse.

The slow, unhurried nature of Carmilla's kisses was driving Laura insane. It was becoming impossible to sit still. All she wanted was a little relief.

Something…. Anything.

Eventually, the teasing became too much to handle. Licking her lips, Laura moved to cup her left breast. Just as her palm landed on the fabric of her bra, a hand grasped her wrist and tugged it away preventing the touch. Laura let out a frustrated whine, lifting her head so she could glare at the girl responsible.

"Not so fast," Carmilla whispered darkly.

"Please, I can't wait any longer." Laura resorted to begging.

"Fine, but scoot up to the head rest." Carmilla directed, raising a suggestive eyebrow, "I want to try something."

At this point, Laura would do anything to get relief, so she moved backwards as instructed. When her back met the pillows she stopped and watched as Carmilla crawled after her, a predatory look in her brown eyes.

"I won't be mad if you say no." Carmilla forewarned with an innocent smile.

"What?"

"Also, you should know that I don't usually do this with people I meet at bars." She added as a disclaimer, smirking softly.

"You're kind of scaring me now." Laura grinned, only half-joking. A few seconds passed, that felt more like hours, as she waited to hear Carmilla's proposition.

"Have you ever been tied up?" The girl finally questioned, a mischievous glint in her chocolate eyes. Laura tried to steady her racing pulse as Carmilla hovered closer so that their lips were only centimeters apart.

"No." Laura answered, shivering as the girl's fingertips trailed across the skin of her collarbone.

"Do you want to be?" Carmilla asked softly, staring deep into amber eyes. "Only your wrists, and nothing too serious. It's more playful than anything else." She added with an uncharacteristically shy grin.

At first, Laura's immediate answer was 'hell no'. But then she took a moment to ponder the question. For some reason, she trusted Carmilla. Plus, if she were being honest, the thought appealed to her darker side; not that she was willing to admit it, but the idea of being completely at someone's mercy was a definite turn on. At work she was always so in control, she wondered if it might feel freeing to let go of that responsibility tonight with Carmilla.

"Maybe." Laura answered in a hesitant whisper. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to try."

A beaming smile broke out across Carmilla's face. "So, you do have a naughty side." She tilted her head slightly, her eyes dropping to Laura's lips before lifting back up to meet her gaze.

"I think you bring it out in me." Laura countered with a smile before leaning forward to press their lips together.

No one had ever kissed her the way Carmilla did, so full of passion and hunger. It made Laura feel powerful, knowing that someone as beautiful as Carmilla wanted her just as much.

They kissed until they couldn't breathe, and then they kissed some more. Laura's lips were so tender she knew that tomorrow they would likely bruise. Another time, she might be upset about something like that, but with Carmilla it almost felt like an honor... like she had somehow marked them as her own.

They broke apart for air and Carmilla smirked, "I'll be right back, don't move."

Laura raised her hands in mock surrender, making Carmilla chuckle as she slid off the bed to retrieve the belt from Laura's slacks.

"I agreed to be tied up, not whipped." Laura noted skeptically, watching as the other girl crawled back up on the bed, belt in hand.

"It's to fasten your wrists together, silly." Carmilla rolled her eyes with an easy going smile. "We're going to have to improvise here."

As she moved to straddle Laura's hips, her expression faded into a lust filled gaze. The girl beneath her looked gorgeous laying there in only a bra and panties, her light brown hair sprawled out haphazardly against the white pillows.

"When are you going to get out of that dress?" Laura licked her lips, drawing Carmilla's attention.

"Give me your hands and you might find out."

"I don't know if I like this game, it's not very fair." Laura pouted, presenting her wrists anyway.

"You may not like it much now, but here in five minutes you're going to love it, I promise" Carmilla smiled, binding the girl's hands together with care before pulling them up and over Laura's head. She leaned forward to fasten them to the bedpost, all the while making sure to give Laura a good view of her chest.

Once Laura's wrists were secured to the bed a naughty grin tugged at Carmilla's lips, "Now I get to do whatever I want to you." She whispered seductively, running her fingertip down the center of the other girl's chest.

"Be nice." Laura warned, watching as Carmilla's fingers found the front clasp on her black bra.

"Of course." The girl smirked, releasing the hook and freeing Laura's breasts.

Unable to resist any longer, Carmilla leaned down and took a rock hard nipple in her mouth. Using her bottom lip and top teeth, she worked on the sensitive flesh until Laura's breathing grew fast and uneven. When the quiet sighs turned into drawn out moans, Carmilla switched to the other side and worked that nipple into a rock hard peak.

"Please." Laura struggled against the restraints, frustrated that she couldn't reach out.

"Shh..." Carmilla hummed before silencing Laura with her lips. She kissed her good and hard before pulling away quickly, which only frustrated the amber-eyed brunette more.

Smiling, Carmilla sat back up, still straddling Laura's hips. She reached back to unzip her dress and pulled the black fabric over her head. She tossed it carelessly to the floor, leaning forward to connect their lips again. This time, Carmilla kissed the girl until there was no oxygen left in either of their lungs.

"You're killing me here." Laura panted breathlessly as they drew apart.

Carmilla didn't respond with words, instead she quickly removed Laura's black thong. All the teasing was beginning to get to her as well. The throbbing between her legs was turning into a demanding ache, and she knew that Laura must be feeling the same way.

"How do you want it?" Carmilla asked, her fingers finding Laura's wetness for the first time.

"Please." Laura moaned, arching her back off of the bed in pleasure. Her eyes slammed shut and her voice quivered, "I don't care... just please." She begged, unable to form a coherent thought.

Biting her lip, Carmilla moved to lay at Laura's side, her fingers rubbing gentle circles over the girl's clit. As she pressed down harder, Laura's abdomen spasmed indicating she was already close to climax. Sitting up a little, Carmilla thrust two fingers deep into Laura's core. When she felt that Laura's walls begin to squeeze in she drew back, much to Laura's dismay.

"Not yet." Carmilla rasped, moving down to settle between Laura's legs, "I want to taste you." She hummed, spreading Laura open with her fingers before running her tongue through the wet folds.

Laura's eyes slammed shut, the pleasure almost too much to handle. She tugged against the restraints in frustration, wanting to run her fingers through Carmilla's hair as she brought her to climax.

"Look at me." Carmilla's raspy voice commanded, her mouth lifting from Laura.

"Please don't stop." Laura gasped, her tone desperate and begging. When there was no response she opened her eyes in silent question.

"Don't close your eyes or I will." The brunette threatened, smirking as Laura nodded frantically in response. Eyes locked with the pleading amber orbs above her, Carmilla dipped her tongue into the alcove of Laura's parted thighs and thrust two fingers deep her warmth.

A strangled cry of euphoria tore for Laura's lips and she struggled to keep her eyes open. When Carmilla picked up rhythm, licking and sucking her incredibly sensitive bundle of nerves, Laura could feel herself dangling over the edge. Her abdomen tensed as her muscles prepared to shatter into a million pieces. The ache of anticipation was unlike anything she had ever felt before, a mix of pleasure and agony that had her wound up so tight she thought she would explode.

Without any warning, Carmilla sucked hard on Laura's clit and curled her fingers to press firmly against her g-spot. That was all it took. Every nerve ending in Laura's body exploded all at once, making her fingers and toes curl in euphoria. Arching her back off the mattress, she came harder than she ever had before, screaming Carmilla's name into oblivion. Her body spasmed uncontrollably as her mind went blank due to the overwhelming sense of pleasure.

When she slowly drifted back down to earth, she opened her eyes and saw Carmilla looking up in awe.

"Wow." Laura panted, licking her lips. She watched as Carmilla climbed up her body placing random kisses over her torso, neck, and finally lips.

"You're exquisite." Carmilla husked before reaching up to release Laura's bound wrists.

Once she was finally free, Laura grasped Carmilla's hips and flipped them so that she could finally be on top. "My turn." She smirked before leaning down to capture Carmilla's lips in passionate kiss.

* * *

A distant buzzing awoke Laura from a sleep she hadn't realized she'd drifted into. Rubbing her eyes she took a moment to recall where she was and why. Rolling onto her back, she peered over to find the other side of the bed empty. All that remained was the faint traces of an earthy perfume and sex. Her brows crinkled as she tried to get a grip on her surrounding. She listened carefully for movement in the darkness, but there was nothing and she concluded that she was indeed alone... then, the memories flooded back all at once.

Carmilla. The hotel. The numerous orgasms. Everything.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Laura sat up and took a look around. Outside, the full moon illuminated the city, its light drifting in to brighten the otherwise dark hotel room. The buzzing of a phone began again and Laura groaned. Then glancing at the clock on the nightstand, she groaned again. It was 4 o'clock in the morning, which meant that was probably someone from work calling. The only time anyone rang Laura at this hour was to tell her about another murder.

Throwing the covers off her naked body, Laura stood to find her phone. She followed the vibrations across the room to where her pants had been carelessly discarded. Digging a hand into the pocket of her slacks, she found the damned thing and answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, boss." A male voice replied sounding just as tired as Laura felt. "Sorry to be calling at this hour, but there's been another murder."

"And?" Laura dragged out. Her partner wouldn't be calling unless it was something he couldn't handle alone.

"Another girl in her mid twenties... same M.O as the previous two."

"Crap." Laura grumbled quietly, running a hand through her messy hair. This was the worst possible news a homicide detective could get. "Hold on a sec." She instructed, grabbing a pen and paper from the living room area before plopping down on the couch, "What did Chief say?"

"She thinks we got a serial killer on our hands."

"Damn," Laura grumbled into the darkness. "Any leads?"

"No." The voice replied, "The medical examiner is still trying to find out cause of death."

"What do you mean? We know how they died." Laura questioned, her eyes catching a note on the small table in front of her.

"We know they were drained of blood, we just don't know how yet. The M.E still hasn't mapped out a murder weapon."

Laura shifted, leaning forward to grab the note she assumed was from the woman who'd shared her bed last night.

"Hey! I actually think I might got somethin." Laura's partner, Kirsch, exclaimed into the phone, "Just recovered a partial print."

"Great," Laura perked up, "Text me the address, I'm on my way." She set the note back down without reading it before hurrying to put her pants on. As she took one final glance around the hotel room, a small twinge of disappointment twisted in her chest. It would have been nice to at least said goodbye to the stranger who had rocked her world.

 _Oh well._

None of that mattered now, Laura had a serial killer to catch.


	3. Chapter 3

A light drizzle leaked from the gloomy Seattle sky, the dull weather a perfect representation of Laura's mood as she stepped out of the unmarked police car. A man in uniform offered her a thin smile as he lifted the crime scene tape, "Good morning, detective."

"Officer Collins." Laura greeted, moving to duck under the yellow barrier, "How's the wife?" She asked conversationally as her shoes met the wet grass of the victim's front lawn.

"Good...though not very happy I got called in at this hour." The older officer chuckled, but the sound was somber and forced.

Laura nodded her agreement, "Me and your wife both." She sighed, slipping on some blue latex gloves from her pocket. "You know if Detective Lawrence is here yet?"

"Ya, she's already inside. Got here just a few minutes before you."

"Thanks," Laura smiled before making her way towards the front door.

As she crossed the threshold a silent 'wow' formed at her lips. The place was a mansion, complete with an immaculate, gold tinged chandelier and enormously high ceilings. Everything from the floors, to the paintings on the walls, screamed expensive and high class.

"Detective Hollis," Another officer appeared at her side. "The victim is upstairs, second door on the left."

"Lovely." Laura exhaled sarcastically before making her way across the foyer towards the luxurious spiral staircase.

"Try not to get lost," The officer teased, "It would take us months to find you in a place this size."

"No kidding." Laura shook her head with a smile as she made the ascent.

Just like any job, being a homicide detective had both its highs and lows. A high being the people. Even though Laura had a bit of an uptight reputation amongst her co-workers, they'd come to love and respect her for it. Her upbeat personality and enviable work ethic had won them over within the first few months. And while she'd only been with the Seattle Police Department for a couple of years now, she was quickly becoming one of the best detectives the city had ever seen. In Laura's short time on the force, she had already closed more cases than most of the senior officers in the precinct. She was truly a force to be reckoned with when it came to catching murders, although she wouldn't be caught dead acknowledging any of her accomplishments. As someone who had always struggled with humility, Laura would much rather work behind the scenes and stay out of the spot light. The numerous awards and recognition banquets were categorized as the job's downsides to Laura.

As she reached the top of the stairs, Laura was reminded of another downside to the job as faint traces of decaying flesh filtered into her nostrils. By now, she had grown somewhat accustomed to all of the blood and gore, but she would never get used to the god-awful stench of death. It seemed to engulf every particle of air within a hundred feet, making it almost impossible to breathe without gagging.

Putting on her game face, Laura forced the nausea down into the pits of her stomach before following the horrible smell to the source. The master bedroom seemed to be the scene of the crime,chock full of medical and police staff. Most of them just wandering around aimlessly, trying to look important.

"What have we got?" Laura asked, commanding attention of the room. The herd of people eventually parted, allowing her the space to approach. As she caught site of the victim, a gasp escaped from her throat.

There, laying naked and lifeless on the bed, was a woman in her mid twenties. Same M.O. as the other two murders... only this time her wrists were fastened to the bed post above her head. Hazy memories of the night before bombarded Laura's consciousness. All of the sudden she was staring down into dark, hungry eyes and struggling against restraints as her body spasmed in ecstasy. A shiver racked down her spine and goosebumps appeared. Carmilla's husky voice filled her ears, whispering sweet nothings, while the smell of earthy perfume made Laura's throat dry. Her eye lids fluttered in awakening and her finger tips itched to reach out and touch the soft skin she'd committed to memory only hours ago.

"Earth to Laura." Danny waved her hands in front of the detective's face, trying to coax the woman out of the weird trance she'd slipped into. Others looked on with curious stares, wondering why the detective suddenly looked so flushed and distant."Hello?"

"What? Sorry." Laura shook her head in attempt to banish the totally inappropriate thoughts. As the irrational sense of arousal dissipated, a different feeling took its place: dread. The awful emotion slowly leaked from Laura's mind, into the pit of her stomach. It had to be a coincidence... some sort of sick lesson the universe was trying to teach her about sleeping with random strangers. Carmilla even said that tying people up wasn't something she did regularly -surely that had to mean something.

 _Who am I kidding_? Laura didn't believe in coincidences.

She also didn't believe in jumping to conclusions. Plenty of people were into light bondage, just because Carmilla happened to be one of those people didn't mean she was also a murder. It would be stupid and reckless to assume Carmilla had something to do with this just because she'd tied Laura up in a similar way last night... so why did Laura's feel so sick to her stomach? Maybe it was because Carmilla had disappeared in the middle of the night? Or maybe because something about the mysterious brunette seemed to scream trouble.

Deep breath.

"Sorry about that, I guess I still haven't quite woken up yet." Laura tried to play it off.

"Sure," The tall redhead dragged out, giving her friend a curious look, "I was just telling you about the victim. Her name is Betty Spielsdorf, 21, born and raised here in Seattle."

"How does she afford this place?" Laura asked, stepping forward to get a better look at the woman. She was extremely pale, but appeared to have been killed rather recently.

"Rich parents." Danny replied, watching as the medical examiner leaned forward to inspect the two puncture marks on the woman's neck.

"Got a time of death?" Laura directed the question to the other redhead surveying the body.

"Can't be sure without an autopsy, but I'd say she was killed somewhere between 2 and 4am." Dr. LaFontaine answered, glancing up to meet the detective's eyes. "You look different this morning. Did you finally let go and have some fun last night?" They smirked, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

A deep, burgundy blush filled Laura's cheeks and she bit her lip nervously. Was it really that obvious? It had been ages since she'd experienced the post-sex afterglow. She had been hoping the lack of sleep would combat the effects, apparently not. "Nope, just a peaceful night in."

"Tied up in another case?"

Laura nearly bit her tongue at the phrasing of the question, "What? Um no... I uh-"

"Hey guys, I think I got something." Kirsch spoke up from across the room, providing Laura with a lucky break. He slipped a business card from the victim's jacket pocket before crossing over to hand the evidence to Laura. "Looks like our girl might have been at a strip club last night." Kirsch ginned, pleased with himself for making the find. "Some place called Teasers."

As Kirsch handed the card over, Laura hoped he didn't notice the slight tremble of her fingers. That was the strip club from last night, which meant this case was about to get extremely messy.


	4. Chapter 4

"Sink! Sink!" Lafontaine exclaimed, gesturing to the faucet across the morgue.

"All this time, and autopsies still make you sick?" Danny teased, watching as Kirsch ran over to empty his queasy stomach.

When the nausea passed he ripped a paper towel from the dispenser and wiped his mouth, "No." He frowned, "I must of just ate something funky."

"Right." Laura nudged Danny with her elbow, the two breaking out into infectious laughter.

"Oh cut it out, will ya?" Kirsch blushed, this time choosing to observe from a distance. The three hovering over the victim's corpse tried not to smile as he looked everywhere except the body.

"Anyway…" Lafontaine shook their head in amusement before shifting their focus back to the woman on the autopsy table. "I ran the tox screens you wanted, but I didn't find any of the usual drugs in her system."

"What do you mean usual drugs?" Laura questioned, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

"Well, the victim tested negative for all known street drugs, and she wasn't taking any prescription medication." Lafontaine shifted on their feet, releasing a puzzled sigh, "Which is totally crazy because her epinephrine, oxytocin, and serotonin levels were off the charts. Not to mention the fact it took her approximately 2 hours to bleed out when it should have only taken 30 minutes given her stress levels at the time. The average anxiety attack averages a heart rate of around 100 beats per minute… that should have sped up the hemorrhaging considerably."

"Why does that matter?" Danny questioned. Science wasn't really her forte, she was more of a sports person herself.

"It means that something was in her system, elevating certain hormone levels while simultaniously slowing her heart rate. I've never seen anything like it… up until now I wasn't even sure that was possible."

"Interesting." Laura nodded, sorting through the new information in search of a theory. She went over the crime scene again in her head, taking into consideration any witnesses or acquaintances. There had to be something useful that they had overlooked.

"Hey, Kirsch?" Laura spoke, a dim lightbulb going off in her head. It might not have been much, but it was a start.

"Ya?"

"Did you already question the victim's boyfriend?"

"Ya, his alibi checks out. Why?"

Laura drew her bottom lip between her teeth before slowly releasing it, "Maybe we should bring him in again for questioning... see if he knows anything about this mystery drug."

"I'm on it." Kirsch smiled, his puppy-like energy always so contagious.

"Thanks," Laura grinned, moving towards the exit and motioning for Detective Lawrence to follow. "I think Danny and I will go check out the strip club lead."

"Great! I'll be here trying to find a cause of death that makes more sense than vampires," Lafontaine joked, waving goodbye to the three detectives.

* * *

The only thing worse than a strip club at night, was a strip club during the day. Or at least that was all Laura could think as Danny eased the car into Teasers parking lot. It occurred to her that she must have been out of her mind when she agreed to accompany Danny the night before. The building itself was beautiful thanks to vintage architecture, but the place as a whole was sleazy at best. Covered in neon signs and painted a hideous shade of light pink, it wouldn't have been out of place in a 1960's PlayBoy magazine.

"Not quite as romantic in the day, is it?" Danny teased, grinning at the slightly horrified expression on Laura's face.

"I'll say," The tiny brunette grumbled in disgust as she climbed out of the car. "I have no idea how you convinced me to come here last night."

Danny released a warm laugh as the two made their way across the parking lot and towards the back entrance, "Oh come on. You had a good time, admit it."

"Did not."

Danny rolled her eyes, "You're a terrible liar." She replied, lifting her fist to knock on the back door of the club.

They waited in silence for a few moments before Laura gave in with a dramatic sigh, "Fine, I admit it wasn't all bad."

A smirk tugged at the Danny's lips, "I knew it. That brunette you were chatting up at the bar was like, so sexy…. Speaking of which, what ever happened with her?"

"Ha. No way," Laura let out a nervous huff, "I'm not even gonna go there."

"Aw, come on, please. I bet it was super hot."

A familiar heat spread up Laura's neck and she swallowed. "Nope. Not gonna happen."

Just as Danny opened her mouth to protest, the door swung open revealing a young blonde in her twenties. She gave them each the once over before adopting an irritated frown. "Are you guys the cops that called earlier?" She asked, looking disgusted with their presence.

A couple of years ago, a reaction like this might have hurt Laura's feelings, but now it was only mildly annoying. She really couldn't blame people for reacting poorly to a couple of homicide detectives. Besides, it would be far more troubling if people greeted them with excitement.

"I'm Detective Hollis and this is Detective Lawrence. We'd like to ask a few questions." Laura flashed her badge before tucking it back into her pocket.

"Okay?"

"Are you the manager?" Danny raised a curious eyebrow.

"No, I'm just one of the bartenders." The blonde answered, chewing noisily on piece of bubble gum. She wasn't even trying to hide her irritation.

Sighing internally, Laura shifted a little on her feet. "Can we come in?"

The blonde rolled her eyes, but gestured for them to follow her inside, "The manager is upstairs if you want to talk with her."

"That'd be great." Danny offered a fake smile before correcting herself, "Actually, if you wouldn't mind giving Detective Hollis directions, I think I'd like to stay down here and talk with you."

"Of course," The woman gave a lame, closed lip smile. Then turning to address Laura she mumbled, "Go down that hallway and take the stairs up to the second floor. Alexandra is the secretary there, she can show you to the manager's office."

"Great." Laura nodded before directing her attention back at Danny. "What time do you want to meet back down here?"

"Thirty minutes?"

Laura shook her head in agreement before leaving to find the manager.

As she reached the second floor, a pleasantly surprised expression appeared. While the downstairs had looked like your average sleazy strip joint, the upstairs was gorgeous. Laura felt like she was entering some high class office building or something. Her eyes scanned over the lobby area, complete with a few pieces of expensive furniture and a secretary's desk, and she nodded in approval. All of the decor was modern and sophisticated, the varying shades of grey, black, and red giving the space a classy yet sensual feel.

Across the lobby, a woman dressed in business attire glanced up from behind the desk, "Hello, how may I help you?"

"I'm Detective Hollis, I'd like to speak with the manager." Laura pulled her shoulder blades together and straightened her spine, radiating confidence and strength as she approached the desk. She found this demeanor extremely effective when dealing with problematic witnesses. Asserting her authority straight off the bat was a sure fire way to ensure the situation remained under control.

"Do you have an appointment?" The woman's voice was sweet, but there was an edge of hostility in her words.

Great, another cynic. Laura thought, working her jaw back and forth to hide her frustration. "No, I do not."

"Well the manager is extremely busy today, perhaps you should come back another time?"

"Perhaps... or I could just bring both of you in for questioning now." Laura sighed, returning the woman's fake smile. "Unless, of course, you'd like to check the schedule again. I'm sure you could find a way to squeeze me in today."

The woman gave an icy glare in return, sending a prickling sensation up Laura's spine. The temperature in the room dropped several degrees, and for a split second Laura swore she could see her breath. Then, as if she'd dreamt it all, the moment passed and the woman pressed down on the intercom.

Weird.

"Sorry to interrupt, but there is a Detective Hollis here to see you... No, sorry, she's insisting... Okay, I'll send her in."

Judging by the secretary's grimace upon hanging up, the manager must not have been too pleased with the detective's presence either. For some reason, this time it really irritated Laura. It wasn't her fault someone had been murdered. People could be so ridiculous sometimes, acting as if Laura only questioned them to be an inconvenience, when in reality she was simply doing her job...a job that just so happened help keep the rest of society safe and functioning properly.

"Right this way, Detective." The secretary spoke up, ending Laura's pity party. She stood from behind the desk and straightened out her black pencil skirt. Then, without saying another word, led Laura down a long, dimly lit hallway. The walk was quiet and awkward, but Laura would rather that than small talk any day.

They reached the manager's office and the woman offered a smug grin, "Good luck." Then, turning to leave, she added, "I'm sure you'll need it."

Laura frowned. What the frilly hell is that supposed to mean?

An unexpected rush of nerves tightened the walls of her chest, making it difficult to draw in a full breath. Something was definitely up, and she was itching to get to the bottom of it. Both the bartender and the secretary had a bizarre aura about them. It was like some sort of invisible electricity that seemed to grow stronger as the women became more emotional. There was really no way to explain it, except that it had a profound effect on Laura. She had always been gifted with empathy, but with those two it was almost overwhelming... it reminded her a little of the night she'd spent with Carmilla. They had also shared some sort of emotional connection, and while theirs had been much stronger, it was a similar kind of electricity.

Shaking her head, Laura lifted her fist to knock on the manager's door, now was not the time to be entertaining those kind of thoughts.

A raspy, feminine voice answered, "Come in."

Pushing the door open, Laura caught sight of the woman behind the desk and a sharp gasp escaped from her lips. Time seemed to freeze and the color drained from her face. She blinked, hoping like crazy this was some sort of twisted nightmare. It had to be, because there, sitting regally behind the desk, was the woman she'd been thinking about only moments ago.

"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise." Carmilla raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. If she was at all taken back by the other girl's presence, she did an impeccable job of hiding it.

"You have got to be kidding me." An ironic huff of laughter erupted from Laura's throat. "Don't tell me you're the manger."

A wicked grin tugged at Carmilla's lips, making her look like a dangerously sexy super villain, "Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, Cutie, but I'm not just the manager... I own the place."

This could not be happening. There was no way the universe could be so cruel. Right?

Wrong.

"Please, call me Detective." Laura requested with irritation.

"I'd rather not," Carmilla waved a hand through the air dismissively, "It would be strange given our intimate relationship, don't you agree?"

"Actually no." Laura scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. When she noticed the other girl sneak a peek at her breasts, she let out a huff and dropped them back to her sides.

She had no idea what she'd done to deserve this kind of punishment, but she would do anything to take it back. The last thing she needed was for an already difficult case to become even more complicated.

"Why did you lie to me." Laura inspected the eyes across the room, hoping to find truth locked away in the dark depths.

"I don't remember you asking if I owned the strip club?"

"You said you were 'picking up a friend from work'." Laura accused.

"And I was. It was my night off and Victoria asked if I could swing by to pick her up... If you would have asked, I would have gladly told you the truth." Carmilla's tone was sickeningly sweet, enraging Laura to the point of tiny, balled up fists. Though she wasn't exactly sure if she was angry at Carmilla, or the situation in general, she was still furious.

Deep breath.

"Look," Laura finally sighed, knowing if she wanted to remain in control of the case she needed to try and stay level headed. "I realize we have a past, but that's all it is... a past. I'm here strictly for professional purposes."

"I like this dominant side of you." Carmilla smiled, leaning back a little. She studied Laura for a moment before gesturing to the chair in front of her desk, "Please, have a seat, make yourself comfortable." The last word rolled from her tongue like melted butter, her voice lowering just a hint.

"I'd rather not," Laura sighed, ignoring the obvious attempts at flirting. Instead she reached into her pocket and pulled out a picture of the most recent victim, "Do you recognize this woman?" She asked, walking over to slide the photo in front of Carmilla.

There was an extensive silence as Carmilla studied the picture. When she finally spoke again her voice lacked the arrogance from before, "Yes," She answered, her eyes fixated on the puncture wounds in the dead woman's neck. "She's been to the club a couple of times."

To be honest, Laura had been expecting a lie, "Good." She nodded, feeling slightly less angry, "When was the last time you saw her?"

"I'm not sure," Carmilla swallowed before glancing up to meet the detective's stare. As their eyes locked, she slipped her mask back into place, "You don't think I killed her, do you Cupcake?" She pouted, sliding the photo back across the desk.

"Where were you last night from 2am to 4am?" Laura spoke sternly, bracing her palms on the side of Carmilla's desk.

Another wicked grin graced Carmilla's face as she too leaned forward, "Would you like me to remind you?" She husked, reaching out to brush her fingers against the back of the detective's hand.

Laura jerked away, "Don't play games with me." She took a step back, the need for distance suddenly overwhelming, "I know you left in the middle of the night."

For the briefest of moments, Laura swore something resembling remorse flashed across the other girl's features, but it was gone so quickly she couldn't be sure.

"Fine," Carmilla glared, "You're right, I did leave. I wasn't aware you wanted it to be a sleepover."

"Where did you go?"

"That's none of your business." Carmilla huffed, her own anger beginning to surface.

It was Laura's turn to offer an arrogant grin, "If you can't provide an alibi, then I'm afraid I'll have to take you back to the station for questioning."

"You–" The shrill of a phone cut Carmilla off.

Digging into her pocket, Laura pulled out her cell and read the name flashing across the screen. Then glancing back up at Carmilla she glared, "We're not done yet."

* * *

"Detective Lawrence." Danny answered.

The interview she'd had with the bartender was already over. The girl had an air tight alibi, and absolutely no motive. Not to mention the fact she was way too dumb to be a serial killer... but that was beside the point.

"Hey we got something." Kirsch spoke through the phone, "Gather up Hollis and head back down to the morgue."

"She's talking with the manager."

"Well tell her to wrap it up. It's important."

Danny rolled her eyes, "Can't you just tell me over the phone?"

"I could, but it's not as fun that way... so no."

"Come on," Danny whined, "at least give me a hint or something."

"The hint is that this might just blow the lid off the case," Kirsch laughed, "Now hurry up and get back here so we can tell you."

"Fine," Danny released a warm laugh. "Be there in a little bit." She hung up the phone with a smile, moving to go find Laura.


	5. Chapter 5

The fluorescent lights bounced harshly off the linoleum floors, making Laura's head pound as she strolled through the precinct. To be honest, she couldn't wait for the awful day to get over. She was physically and emotionally drained. Her night with Carmilla had been a lot of things, but restful wasn't one of them. Muscles she didn't even know existed, ached with fatigue. Not to mention the slight kink she had in her neck from struggling against the restraints.

That was the other thing, no matter how hard Laura tried to stop it, her crazy brain had been finding all sorts of ways to bring her thoughts back to Carmilla. Flashes of their night together played like a broken movie over and over again in her head. Not only was it extremely inappropriate given the fact Carmilla was now a possible suspect, but it also left Laura feeling all hot and bothered.

 _Why couldn't I just have a normal one night stand? Why did mine have to go and be a twisted serial killer?_

The depressing thoughts lingered as she made her way to the observation room to meet Kirsch. Her small heels clicked loudly as she walked, the few inches of extra height making her feel powerful and confident. As she slipped into the room her partner greeted her with a small smile.

"Thanks for coming, I know you were busy interviewing the manager chick."

"It's okay, I'm sure that won't be the last run in I have with her."

Kirsch nodded dismissively before diving into the matter at hand, "So the boyfriend claims to have some information on our victim."

Laura looked through the two-way mirror and into the interrogation room where a young man sat alone at a metal table, his knees bouncing up and down nervously.

"Okay?" Her eyebrows drew together in confusion, "And why couldn't you tell me this over the phone?"

There was a short pause as her question floated unanswered in the air. Kirsch glanced over, a look of unease twisting his features. "He asked for you by name, Laura."

"What?"

"He wouldn't say why, only that he wouldn't tell anybody but you."

"How in the world does he know my name?"

Kirsch offered an apologetic shrug, "No idea."

Laura peered back at the man in the other room. He was handsome with his dark hair and lean body, but something was off. Maybe it was the over dramatic display of nerves, or perhaps the emptiness in his dark eyes. Either away, it made a number of warning alarms sound deep in Laura's gut. She quickly pushed them away.

"Okay, let's see what he has to say." Without another word, she grabbed the man's case file and slipped into her role as Seattle's most formidable homicide detective.

Throwing open the door to the interrogation room, Laura radiated power and control. She made her way over to the man and dropped his file on the table, causing him to jump.

"Will Luce, is it?" She spoke sounding casual yet stern.

The man nodded anxiously and a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

"Let's cut to the chase," Laura sighed before moving to sit at the other end of the table, "Your girlfriend was murdered last night and you know something."

Will didn't respond so Laura rolled her eyes and tried again. "We ran a toxscreen and found a drug in your girlfriend's system, what was it?"

"I, uh… I want a deal." The young man finally stuttered, causing Laura to chuckle. After her smile faded, she took a moment to study the man's face. He was either an excellent actor, or something very serious was going on.

"You're going to have to give me something first." Laura leveled, her hard stare unrelenting. She watched the young man's eyes dart to the door as he chewed harshly on the inside of his cheek.

"Fine," Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It's called 'HemX'."

"Great, what else?"

"I want protection." Will blurted.

"That's not how this works," Laura responded, the initial waves of frustration beginning to surface. Something was off, she could feel it. "First, you're going to tell me everything you know... then I'll decide whether or not it's good enough for a deal."

For the briefest of moments an intense darkness danced behind the man's eyes. The bottomless pits of his pupils called to her, daring her to respond. The world seamed to slow as something wicked tugged at the blood in her veins. Her senses dulled until all she could focus on was the quiet thumping of her heart. Then, as if awaking from a dream, she was back to reality.

Laura blamed herself for not getting enough sleep. Clearly the exhaustion was taking a toll on her sanity. "As long as the information you give us is useful, we'll keep you safe." She cleared her throat, trying to ignore the strange haze clouding up her brain.

"Okay." Will nodded, looking skittish. His eyes danced around the room, almost as if he was waiting for something bad to happen. "Two months ago Betty came to me with a new drug she'd picked up at one of the strip clubs downtown. It was unlike anything I had ever taken. It made me feel… alive. Almost like I was invincible." He paused, a worried expression on his face.

"Go on." Laura urged.

"But something about it wasn't right. It had some serious side affects." He swallowed, "I swear it put Betty into some sort of trance or something. She would go missing for nights on end, and when she showed back up she couldn't remember anything. I begged her to stop taking it, but she refused."

"What else."

There was a long pause as Will fidgeted nervously in his seat.

"2601 West Marina Place." He finally whispered, "That's where Betty went to get the drugs. She was supposed to pick up another dose tonight after dark."

A satisfied smile appeared on Laura's face, "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" She grabbed the folder and stood. "We'll be in touch."

"Wait!" Will exclaimed, "What about my protection?"

"You can figure that out with my partner, I've got somewhere to be." Laura replied before exiting the room.

* * *

"What the hell!?" Danny exclaimed through the phone, "You're going to get yourself killed.

"I am not." Laura rolled her eyes with a huff, "I just want to check it out, that's all. I'll be perfectly safe in my car."

"I really don't like this."

"Well I'm already here."

Laura heard an exasperated sigh on the other line, "Fine, but if you even think about getting out, you better call me first. This is only supposed to be a stakeout."

"Ya, whatever, I promise." Laura mumbled as she eased her small black car into the marina. "Look I gotta go, but I'll keep you updated." She hung up without waiting for a response.

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Danny's concern, it was just annoying to be treated like a child. Laura didn't need another worried parent type in her life, her dad already had that one covered. Besides, she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

Shifting her car into park, Laura took out her phone and googled information about the marina. In a couple of minutes she had gathered that it had been shut down several years ago due to flooding. All of the docks and buildings had been ruined, but the city decided it was too expensive to fix. Instead of restoring it they sold it to some rich guy who was slowly turning it into a storage lot.

Satisfied with her new knowledge, Laura tucked her phone back into her pocket and glanced up at the sky. She had at least another hour until sunset. Chewing on her bottom lip, she contemplated the idea of doing a little exploring. Danny would be absolutely furious if she ever found out, but Laura didn't plan on being gone long. Just a quick look around to make sure she was in the right place. Hell, for all she knew Will had lied and this was all about to be a major bust.

 _What could it possibly hurt? As long as I'm back in the car by dark, I'll be fine._

The decision was made, a quick look around would be harmless.

After shutting off her car Laura stepped outside. A cool breeze swept across her face, carrying with it the smell of salty ocean and rotten wood. She scrunched her nose up in distaste and took off walking in no particular direction. Mostly, she just wanted to get a better feel of the area. In case of an emergency she thought it best to know all of the potential exits and hideouts.

Up ahead there was an average sized building resembling a shop and a couple dozen storage units off to the right. The shop and storage units were both worn down and clearly out of use, which Laura found bizarre considering they were far enough away from the water to have avoided any flood damage.

The sound of an approaching car caught Laura's attention and instinct kicked in. She glanced around, looking for somewhere to hide. There was a metal storage container off to her right and she quickly escaped inside, cringing as the door creaked open and closed in protest. Darkness engulfed her, sending all of her other senses into overdrive. The container smelled of rust and a tangy metallic that was eerily similar to blood. She glanced over her shoulder, but it was too dark to see anything.

Laura took in a shaky breath and bit down on her lip. Outside, a door slammed shut and another car pulled up. Conversation was exchanged but Laura couldn't make out the words. Judging by their tone of voice, it sounded like two men… two very large men. They talked for several minutes, allowing Laura's pupils to dialate in the darkness. She took another look around and tried to make out the faint shadows. From what she could tell the container was full of wooden barrels. She couldn't read the labels, but she did discover that they were the source of the awful metallic smell.

She reached out and ran her finger over one of the lids. "Eww." Laura mouthed, retracting her hand in disgust. She wiped the mysterious, syrupy substance off on her jeans and walked back to the front of the container. She listened for the voices and after a few minutes of silence concluded that they were long gone.

At least the information Will had given her wasn't wrong, there was most definitely something criminal going on. All she had to do was get out of there and call in some backup.

 _Wait a minute._

Laura rolled her eyes, feeling like an idiot for not thinking of the obvious sooner. She dug into her front pockets, frowning when she found them empty. She then scrambled to check her back pockets. Nothing. Where the frilly hell was her phone?

"What the fuck is this?" A voice boomed from outside the container.

Laura startled in surprise and cursed herself for not paying better attention. She should have heard him coming, maybe then she would have had time to hide. Now all she could do was stand still and pray her cover wouldn't be blown. Seconds felt like hours as Laura held her breath and prepared for the worse. Whatever was in the barrels was most likely worth killing over. If they found her snooping around, the chances of her getting out alive were slim to none.

 _Walk away. Walk away. Please for the love of creampuffs, walk away._ Laura silently pleaded, her heart threatening to tear its way out of her chest.

She counted to 100 in her head and released a quiet sigh. Whoever it had been was gone. She had gotten lucky this time, and she sure as hell wasn't about to test that luck. Reaching forward with a tentative hand, she wrapped her fingers around the metal door handle. It squeaked open loudly and Laura cursed under her breath. Then without warning, it flew open the rest of the way and a set of dark eyes regarded her first with surprise, then fury.

 _Oh no._ Laura's flight instincts took over as she tried to scurry past the scary looking giant. She had only made it a couple of steps before she felt a massive hand clamp down on her shoulder.

"Not so fast, I think you dropped your phone." The man growled.

A sharp pain pierced the side of her neck before the man shoved her to the ground. She tried to brace for the fall, but her body was paralyzed. Instead her cheek met the pavement with a sickening crack and pain radiated throughout her skull. Her vision grew blurry and the man's angry voice faded into the distance.

Laura fought hard for control but it was to no avail. Darkness consumed her thoughts, making her mind blind.

So then why was she still awake?

It was as if her brain was still on, she just didn't have access to the control panel. Her sense of awareness was still in tact but she was trapped in darkness. The sensation made it impossible to tell reality from dreams, leaving Laura to wander helplessly through her conscious in search of an escape.

* * *

 ** _*Laura's Dream*_**

 _The cool water danced around Laura's legs as she waded deeper into the lake. Around her the forest and all of its creatures were hidden in darkness; above her the full moon shone brightly, its rays falling onto the water like snow. It was so quiet she could hear the steady flow of blood in her veins. It pumped from her heart in powerful surges and ran like rivers through her vessels before returning back home. The cycle was peaceful and calming, the way it never seemed to end, the way the sacred crimson flood was always being pumped and pulled. The intricate process made Laura feel special... like something valuable was taking place beneath her skin._

 _An amused giggle tumbled from Laura's lips as the slippery rocks shifted beneath her feet and she fell. Her body met the water with a quiet smack before she broke through the surface and submerged completely. Eyes open wide, she peered through the glowing water. It was beautiful below the surface, a forest within itself, full of abstract creatures and vegetation. The further she sank into the abyss, the more ethereal the creatures became with their vibrant scales and unusual features._

 _It wasn't until Laura glanced back up at the surface that she realized just how far she had drifted under. Her lungs burned in need of oxygen as she tried to claw her way back up. Arms reaching, fingers and toes grasping, she struggled to swim but only sank farther. The water below was dark and scary, a graveyard for lost souls. Unable to hold her breath any longer she sucked the icy water into her lungs. The freezing liquid shoved its way into her veins, destroying the precious crimson inside. Blood leaked from her mouth and nose like a cloud of dust, turning the dark blue water into a depressing purplish-brown._

 _Laura was sad. This wasn't supposed to have happened, she'd only wanted to explore. Now everything was ruined._

 _Feeling utterly hopeless and defeated, Laura sank into the darkness without a fight. As the last drops of life seeped away she tried to imagine a happier time. A time when things weren't hard or tragic. A time when the life within her flourished and the crimson liquid in her veins pumped vibrantly._

 _That's when Laura saw her, the dark haired stranger who visited only in her dreams. The woman who smelled of earth and melancholy. Whose eyes were fierce with danger, but soft with love. In all the years she'd spent lingering in the background of Laura's dreams, the stranger had never once come this close. They had never once touched, no matter how desperately Laura had begged. And now that she was too weak to reach out, the stranger hovered within arms length._

 _Laura opened her mouth to speak but water poured in, trapping the words in her throat. She didn't want to sink anymore, she wanted to be free._

 _"Please." Laura mouthed, staring deep into the woman's eyes. "Save me."_

 _The stranger looked annoyed, but grabbed Laura by the wrist and pulled her back to the surface anyway. As they reached the shore she leaned down to connect their lips, breathing life into the small brunette's lungs. Then something sweet replaced the woman's lips. It filled Laura's mouth and coated her scratchy throat._

 _Moments later, Laura sputtered and gasped for oxygen. As her consciousness returned, she found herself alone at the water's edge. The world was back to normal, only something felt different. Laura was limber and full of vitality as she climbed to her feet. The blood in her veins was lighter as it pumped agressively from her heart. For the first time in her life she felt totally complete, like there was nothing missing anymore. Places in her soul that had once been broken, were slowly beginning to mend and should could feel each individual crack as it healed._

 _Across the lake, a dark shadow danced throughout the trees. Laura followed the movement with intense scrutiny, not out of fear but rather curiosity. The creature moved with a captivating grace and elegance as it dodged trees and leaped over fallen timber. Then, in one unexpected jump, the shadow emerged from the forest and came to a halt just above the shore. Laura could see it now, a magnificent black panther with the most mesmerizing yellow eyes. It watched her for several moments, something strangely human in its gaze. Then with a feral roar it bared its teeth and ran back into the forest never to be seen again._


	6. Chapter 6

**Carmilla's POV**

 _Tick. Tick. Tick._

The faint clicking of a clock kept Carmilla grounded as the monstrous rage within threatened to break free from its cage. She counted backwards in her head from thirty, taking a deep breath with each new number. Mother would not be happy if she nullified another one of the minions. Besides, she didn't need the stress of trying to find a replacement. The process of introducing a new member to the family was rather extensive, and Carmilla was far too busy keeping the business afloat to invest her time in such a mundane task.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Carmilla hissed, trying not to snap the idiot in half.

Vic swallowed, intimidated by his boss's anger. He had witnessed her fury first hand and knew exactly how lethal she could be. "I had no idea, I swear."

Carmilla clenched her jaw as the control slowly slipped from her fingers. The man was testing her patience. "At least tell me you didn't go and do something stupid like incise the poor thing."

Vic glanced down at the ground. "I-"

"You idiot!" Carmilla roared, reaching out to grab the imbecile by the throat. "How much did you take?" She squeezed harder, watching as the man's face turned ashen. He clawed at her forearms in panic, his fingernails digging into her flesh. The stinging sensation only enraged Carmilla more as she watched the small red drops surface on her skin. All she had to do was apply a tiny bit more pressure and his trachea would collapse. Maybe then her veins wouldn't be laced with fire and rage.

Reminding herself of the work involved with murder, she released her grip on the man's throat. He collapsed to the floor in agony, gasping desperately for lost air.

"Now tell me, how much did you take?"

"Only enough to stun." He panted hoarsely, a red handprint already surfacing on his pale neck.

Carmilla turned, running an exasperated hand through her hair. "You mutts are useless." She spat out. "Go find Marcus. I want you two out of my sight."

"Yes, Ma'am." Vic scrambled to his feet, brushing past Carmilla on his way to the door.

"Oh and Vic? No one is to know about this, you got that?"

The man gave her an obedient nod before scurrying out the door. A few moments later a car engine started up and she heard the screeching of tires as they peeled away in a rush. Carmilla took a moment to catch her breath. She had an absolute mess on her hands, and no idea how to go about cleaning it up.

 ***One Hour Earlier***

 _The empty fridge mocked Carmilla as her stomach grumbled with hunger. She let out a huff before walking back over to her desk and pressing down on the intercom. "Alexandra, the fridge is empty again." She whined, sounding like a needy toddler._

 _"I told you to ration better." The voice gently reprimanded._

 _"Ya, well I was hungry last night." Talk about an understatement. In all of her years on this earth, Carmilla had never been so ravenous. It seemed no amount of nourishment would ever fill her up again. She hadn't struggled so much with her appetite since she was a little girl. That's why she'd left the little minx alone at the hotel. She simply couldn't be in such close proximity to that kind of glorious temptation._

 _"How many times do I have to tell you that one night stands are a bad idea?" Her secretary sighed through the intercom. "You know your mother would never approve._

 _"Well then, I guess it's a good thing Mother is a wrinkly old bat whose reign is coming to an end."_

 _Carmilla kicked her legs up on the desk and waited for Alexandra's scolding. Honestly, the only reason she put up with the constant reproach was because the girl actually seemed to care... unlike most of the company Carmilla kept._

 _"Do ever think before speaking?" Alexandra chuckled over the intercom._

 _"Nope, but that's why you love me."_

 _There was a brief pause before the woman replied, "That's not the only reason."_

 _Carmilla rolled her eyes. She and Alexandra had shared a drunken night together years ago... which had been a massive mistake. It had almost ruined their friendship, making things awkward between them for quite a while. Unfortunately, Alexandra had never gotten over it. She still dropped not-so-casual hints about her feelings every chance she got, which Carmilla would promptly ignore. Sooner or later they would have to talk about it, but for now Carmilla would go to great lengths to avoid the conversation._

 _Thankfully, this time her cell phone did all of the work for her as it rang out loudly in her quiet office._

 _"Oops, better take this." The brunette released the intercom button so she could take the call. "Hello?"_

 _"Hey boss, there's a problem. We caught a girl snooping around in the storage containers."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Ya, but don't worry, we've already taken care of her. I just thought you might want to know before we got rid of the body."_

 _A horrible feeling stabbed at Carmilla's gut, twisting and screwing her organs into a painful knot. Her sixth sense screamed in alarm as she realized that her stomach hadn't been aching from hunger, but rather in warning. Something bad was happening. Carmilla jumped to her feet and pulled on her leather jacket._

 _"Describe her to me." She demanded, trying not to sound as upset as she felt._

 _"She's about 5'2, dirty blonde hair, probably weighs about 110lbs." There was mumbling in the background before Vic let out a crude chuckle, "Oh and she's cute... Got a tight little-"_

 _"Enough." Carmilla bit out, feeling utterly repulsed and disturbed. "I'm on my way. Don't even think about touching the girl until I get there._

 _"You got it, Boss." Vic sighed through the phone, sounding rather disappointed. Carmilla wanted to rip his throat out._

 _It was Laura, she could feel it. Like a dull knife burying itself beneath her skin... those idiots had Laura, and if they so much as laid a hand on her then Carmilla would tear them limb from limb._

 ***Present Time***

A slew of incoherent grumblings pulled Carmilla from the memory and she moved to inspect the noise. As she entered the main part of the shop, her eyes took in the tiny creature responsible for the last hour of mayhem. The last time she'd seen Laura was in her office. Learning that the girl was a homicide detective had come as a total surprise, but looking back Carmilla should have known. The uptight persona, the constant need for control, the inquisitive mind... it all should've been a dead give away.

"Where the hell am I?" Laura mumbled from the chair she was tied to. "Take this damn blindfold off me." She demanded, making Carmilla grin. The girl was insanely brave. Almost to a fault.

Trying to prolong the inevitable, Carmilla kept quiet and studied the small brunette from a distance. A large cut marred the girl's left cheek and there was a bruise on her neck from where Vic had fed. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes lopsided, but she still managed to make Carmilla's pulse race with desire. The girl was a fireball who radiated both strength and innocence. The two qualities proving to be an oddly appealing mix that intrigued Carmilla far more than she cared to admit.

Across the room, Laura continued to struggle against the restraints while mumbling frustrated curses. After another minute or so, Carmilla could smell the faint traces of fresh blood as the girl rubbed herself raw against the ropes. Taking a deep breath, she stalked over to the tiny brunette and squatted down at her feet. Setting two firm hands on Laura's thighs she sighed, "Enough. You're hurting yourself."

"Get off of me!" Laura jumped before resorting back to the pointless struggling. "When I get out of here you're dead! You hear me, dead!"

Carmilla rolled her eyes at the childish response and stood. She took a few steps back and crossed her arms over her chest. When they'd first met she'd thought the girl's feisty nature was charming, now it only annoyed her.

 _At least she doesn't recognize my voice._

Letting out a frustrated breath, Carmilla contemplated the idea of walking away and letting Vic and Marcus deal with the little troublemaker. She certainly didn't have time to be meddling in such lowly business. If it had been anyone else, she would have had the trespasser killed on the spot. Unfortunately, the thought of Laura in any kind of danger made her surprisingly uncomfortable. Not that she actually cared for the tiny brunette... it was more of a left over attraction. Laura was pretty and fun, if she were to die now it would simply be a waste of virtue.

"What were you doing snooping around in my containers?" Carmilla questioned.

"I was lost."

The lame attempt at a lie made Carmilla roll her eyes. "Well then, in that case I am extremely sorry for the misunderstanding." She purred, her voice dripping in mock compassion. Then, offering a sarcastic huff she shook her head, "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

Releasing a defeated breath, Laura slouched down in the chair. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? This is all just a big misunderstanding. I promise if you let me go, I won't tell a soul what's happened." She bargained, "Besides, I'm a loner in my personal life and no one from work would ever believe me."

"I see." Carmilla studied the blind folded brunette, impressed with her shift in tactic. "And what is it you do for a living?"

"I work for an insurance company doing paper work and stuff."

A harsh laugh erupted from Carmilla's throat as she stepped forward and reinvaded Laura's space. Leaning down so that she was only a breath away from the detective's face, she whispered, "Don't lie to me, Laura. I think I deserve better than that after what we've shared." Reaching up she pulled the black material from the brunette's eyes and basked in look of horror she received.

Laura sucked in a shocked breath before masking her surprise with an enraged frown. "Carmilla." She hissed, grinding her jaw back and forth in fury. Her eyes filled with hatred as she seethed, "I should have known."

An amused grin tugged at Carmilla's lips, "You did a very stupid thing, snooping around this place alone. If it weren't for me you'd be dead." She husked, glancing down at Laura's lips before dragging her eyes back up to the detective's irate amber orbs.

"Fuck you." The tiny brunette clipped out, but all Carmilla heard was the rapid thumping of the girl's heartbeat. It sang out like a dark melody, the hard steady pounding doing wicked things to her sense of control.

"I love when you talk dirty to me." Carmilla bit her lip before breaking into an evil cheshire grin. No doubt Laura was furious (that was a given). But judging by the girl's dilated pupils and heavy breathing the detective was also becoming aroused.

Moving in languid steps, Carmilla circled behind the chair and placed a hand on the detective's shoulder. "You've made quite a mess, Laura." She drawled, her dark voice dropping an octave. "And now I am the one who has to clean it up."

She placed her lips just above Laura's ear and breathed in the girl's intoxicating scent. Then, dropping her head to the crook of Laura's neck she smiled. This had been all she'd wanted since that night in the hotel room, but experience had taught her not to feed on humans after sex. Especially not when they were as enticing as Laura. Even with centuries of experience, blood lust was still a lethal aspect of her being that required constant control and restraint.

"Don't worry, I can make this enjoyable for both of us." Carmilla whispered running her tongue along the throbbing vein in Laura's neck. The girl's pulse jumped in response, as if the blood inside was anticipating it's destiny.

Laura let out a quiet whimper, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing you won't take pleasure in, Cupcake." Carmilla answered before slowly sinking her razor sharp fangs into the detective's hot flesh.

A moan escaped from Laura's lips and Carmilla grinned. When done the right way, feeding was almost like a drug to humans. It ignited pleasure endorphins and induced a sense of euphoria. Unfortunately, this form of feeding was also extremely personal, which Carmilla hated. No doubt she and Laura would share a different kind of connection afterward, but it was the only way she could ensure that the compulsion would be effective

As Carmilla pulled the hot liquid into her mouth she could feel the synapses of affection firing in her brain. Taken by the moment she felt her arms cradle Laura closer. Her blood was sweet and pure; the best Carmilla had tasted in a very long time. It coated her throat in lust and the more she drank the more ravenous she became. Time drifted into oblivion as she got lost in the girl's divine taste. It wasn't until she caught herself cupping Laura's left breast that the dangerous trance was broken.

Retracting her fangs, Carmilla fought to regulate her breathing. Beneath her skin every nerve buzzed with electricity and desire. She could have easily drank the poor girl dry. A lesser vampire certainly would have. Proud of herself for maintaining control, Carmilla ran her tongue across Laura's neck in order to heal her punctured jugular. Then, circling back around to the front of the chair she smirked at the girl's obvious desire.

For the briefest of moments Carmilla thought about giving in to her own cravings. She wanted nothing more than to strip the gorgeous brunette naked and make love right there on the concrete floor, but logic told her that was a bad idea. There was a method to her madness and now was not the time to be getting distracted.

Leaning down, she braced her palms against the armrests on either side of Laura's chair. "I want you to listen to me very carefully." Carmilla husked as her pupils flexed in authority, her mind reaching out to manipulate Laura's thoughts. "Go home and forget about everything that happen here. If anyone asks you about the cut on your cheek, you are to tell them you tripped. Understood?"

The detective offered an adorable nod and Carmilla couldn't help but smile in response. The girl was just so damn cute.

"Good. Now you're going to have a nasty headache in the morning so I want you to put some Advil and a glass of water by your bed." Carmilla instructed before relaxing her mind and disengaging the compulsion. She gently untied Laura's wrists and feet before helping the girl out of the chair.

As they stood, Laura looked straight through her like some sort of zombie. It was all Carmilla could do to stop herself from gathering the poor thing into her arms. She hated that it had gotten so far as compulsion, but honestly there had been no other option. Laura could have blown the lid off of Carmilla's entire operation. The girl was cute and fun to play with, but she wasn't worth losing her mother's business over. The only thing Carmilla could to do now was hope the compulsion did its job.

Taking a step back, she waited for Laura to leave. Several minutes passed and just when Carmilla was about to speak up, Laura crashed their lips together in a quick but soft kiss. Then, without saying a word the detective turned and headed for the door.

 _Oh god, what have I gotten myself into._ Carmilla swallowed, reaching up to trace her tingling lips.


	7. Chapter 7

**Laura's POV**

 _Murder is wrong. Every life matters._ These were the truths that Laura had based her entire life around. Truths that had laid the very foundations of her being. So then why did every tapping keyboard and shuffling paper make her want to kill the person responsible? Why did she feel like a strained rubber band about to snap?

Three days had passed since her mysterious evening at the marina and things were a mess. She couldn't remember anything from that night, and nobody had an answer for why. She hadn't been drugged, knocked unconscious, or suffered from a mental break. There was simply no logical explanation for her memory loss. One minute she had been pulling into the marina, then boom... She's waking up the next morning with the worst hangover of her life and no recollection of the last 8 hours. It was the most bizarre feeling in the world. Laura knew the memories where there, she just didn't have access to them.

In attempt to spark a flashback, she and Danny had went back to the marina in search of evidence. Unfortunately, they had returned more hopeless than when they'd left. Nothing about the location had suggested anything criminal. No people. No evidence. No leads. To be honest the case was starting to look grim.

Laura's desk phone rang and she let out a relieved sigh. "Did you find something?" She answered, recognizing the number as her partner's.

"Kind of," Kirsch spoke through the line. "Remember that partial print I got at the victim's apartment?"

"Ya."

"Well we just got a read."

A squeal of excitement threatened to burst form Laura's chest but she refused to let it surface. Instead she cleared her throat and calmly asked. "Who's it belong to?"

There was a brief silence before her partner answered, "About that. It took a hell of a lot of digging, but it belongs to a Mircalla Karnstein." He sighed.

"So..." Laura dragged out in confusion. "What's the problem? Let's find the lady and bring her in for questioning."

"That wont be easy since miss Karnstein died back in 1698."

 _What the hell?_

Laura let out a soft chuckle, "You're joking, right?" When Kirsch didn't respond, she groaned in exasperation, "Please tell me you're joking."

"I wish I was." Kirsch replied, "Apparently the woman was an old aristocrat from Austria. Super rich and super shady. Her family was infamous for all of the servants that went missing under their care. It says here that over 20 of their staff disappeared in the span of 10 years."

"How in the world did a centuries old aristocrat get her finger prints in our victim's apartment?" Laura let out a bewildered huff. At this point, things were starting to get comical. She would ask how this case could get any stranger, but something told her this was only the beginning.

"I have no idea." Her partner replied, "But I'm emailing you the link on her now."

What Laura saw next can only be described as preposterous. So ridiculously impossible she had no idea how to react. The sensible response would have been to scream or perhaps faint, but Laura didn't have the energy for either. Instead she gently set her phone down on the desk and stared forward unblinking.

"Laura?" A far away voice spoke, but she was too in shock to notice, "Hello? You still there?"

The world around Laura was spinning but she felt stuck. Paralyzed in a state of denial. The woman staring back on the computer screen was Carmilla's identical twin. Everything from her perfect eyebrows, to her black hair and chiseled jaw. She wore a look of consequence that sent a shiver down Laura's spine.

"Hello?" The distance voice called out again and Laura startled, moving to pick her phone back up.

"Sorry I uh, I gotta go." She stuttered, sounding distracted. "But nice work finding this." Laura hung up before pressing the print button. As she stood from her desk with the picture in hand, she hesitated.

Something deep within begged her to drop the case while she still could. The road ahead was about to get dark and desolate, a wasteland that would offer her no mercy. For the briefest of moments she considered the consequences. Was it even worth it?

Laura straightened her spine and pushed in her chair. It was already too late. She couldn't quit now, not even if she'd wanted to.

Rage pushed the detective to take the stairs two at a time even though her lungs were burning. The sensation was nothing to the needlelike angst stabbing at her heart. During the last several days, Laura had nearly forgotten about Carmilla all together. She had been so immersed in trying to find her lost memories, her work as a detective had suffered. Instead of following up on her interview with Carmilla, she had failed to consider the mysterious brunette's involvement with the case. That's why it had nearly caused Laura to have a heart attack when she saw a 1600's version of Carmilla staring back at her through the photograph.

"Excuse me? Where do you think you're going?"

Laura blew right past the secretary's desk without so much as a second glance. She was on a mission and nobody was going to get in her way. Too many strange things had been happening lately for it all to be a coincidence. She would get to the bottom of this case even if it meant digging until her hands bled. Enough was enough, someone had the answers she needed. And that someone was Carmilla.

Throwing the door open, Laura marched over to where the mysterious brunette was sitting at her ebony desk. To her dismay, the woman hardly offered any reaction. The lack of response was unnerving and Laura grew annoyed. In attempt to win something, she decided not to speak until the frustrating brunette spoke first.

Was Laura being childish? _Probably_. Did she care? _No._

An icy stillness blanketed the room as Carmilla glared at her unwelcome guest. Her stare was harsh and compelling as she threatened Laura to back down, but the detective refused. All of the sudden a rush of demands bombarded Laura's thoughts, trying to persuade her to walk away. At first the detective was taken aback, but then decided it was a matter of will and she was determined to win. She had no idea where the thoughts were coming from, but she took each one and strangled it to the ground before moving to defeat the next one as well.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity the persuasive thoughts stopped.

"What are you doing here?" Carmilla asked, her teeth gritted in frustration.

Laura scoffed before slapping the picture of Mircalla Karnstein down on the dark wood. "Care to explain?" She seethed, leaning forward into Carmilla's personal space. She watched as the girl's eyes fell to the photo.

"Where did you find this?" Carmilla asked cooly, her gaze shifting back up to meet the detective's critical stare. The casual tone of her voice drove Laura mad. Was there anything in this world that could break down Carmilla's defenses? Anything that could make her seem even remotely human?

"It doesn't matter." Laura hissed, her frustration close to hitting its boiling point. "Who is that, and why does she look exactly like you?"

"I have no idea."

"Yes you do!" Laura threw her arms up in exasperation. "I know there is something you're not telling me, I can feel it!"

The brunette under question offered a wicked grin before slowly getting to her feet. The cold atmosphere ignited into a fiery tension as Laura took an instinctive step back. Carmilla's eyes filled with mischief and malevolence as she rounded the desk and moved toward the detective. Goosebumps besieged Laura's skin and a dark chill prickled at her spine. The air grew thin as her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest in search of escape. Every molecule in her being screamed in warning as Carmilla stalked forward like a deadly predator. Death and hunger filled the brunette's dark eyes, and Laura responded by continuing to take nervous steps backwards.

"I've been patient with you, Laura." Carmilla whispered darkly as she backed the detective into a corner. The smaller brunette let out a quiet squeak of surprise as her back collided with the wall and Carmilla grinned. "Are you afraid?" She asked, studying the detective with interest.

Laura swallowed. Deep down she knew it wasn't fear that made her pulse race around Carmilla, but she knew it wasn't lust either. Whatever she felt, it was instinctual and raw. Something nameless and indescribable.

"You don't scare me." Laura's voice came out wobbly and weak, and she cursed herself.

"No?" Carmilla chuckled. She stared deep into the detective's amber eyes and a feeling of admiration warmed her insides. Reaching up slowly, she ran her finger across the girl's jaw before tucking a stray lock of hair behind Laura's ear. As her eyes fell to the detective's throat she bit her lip and whispered. "You should be terrified."

"Why?" Laura swallowed, her skin alive with the electricity that came from Carmilla's touch. When the taller girl didn't respond, she tentatively asked, "Would you hurt me?"

For the first time, something vulnerable came to rest on Carmilla's features. It was a look of such melancholy and regret, that it threatened to tear Laura's heart in two.

"Yes." Carmilla answered tightly, "But not because I'll ever want to."

What was that supposed to mean?

Laura's eyebrows drew together in a concerned frown. She opened her mouth to question Carmilla further, but the girl's pleading stare begged her not to. Laura slammed her lips shut and stared back in confusion. This wasn't how she'd imagined her visit.

A buzzing in the detective's pocket broke the tension and the atmosphere shattered. Carmilla cleared her throat and took a step back. Laura watched in dissatisfaction as the girl retreated back to her desk and ran a frazzled hand through her dark, wavy hair. Her heart ached for the troubled brunette across the room. Carmilla didn't deserve her sympathy and to be honest Laura didn't want to give it. Unfortunately, she didn't have any control over the compassion she felt. Perhaps it was because something about the way Carmilla had just looked at her seemed a lot like a cry for help. Like the brunette was drowning in her own misery and Laura was the only one who could relieve the aching pain of her unhappiness.

"You should answer that." Carmilla spoke, her voice once again hard and void of emotion.

Laura offered a wistful nod before answering, "Hello?"

"Third Avenue between James and Yesler." An eerily sinister voice filtered through the line and Laura immediately slipped into detective mode.

"Who is this?" She demanded, her shift in tone causing Carmilla to glance up in concern.

"You have 30 minutes until the boy dies."

The line went dead and Laura jumped into action, all of her previous thoughts vanishing. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she made her way to the door.

"Who was that?" Carmilla questioned, trying to mask the extent of her worry.

Laura hesitated a moment before answering, "Someone's in trouble, I have to go."

"Alone?" Carmilla's eyebrow's drew together in unease."That's not a good idea."

"I'll be fine." Laura sighed, pulling the door open. "Oh and just so you know, we aren't done talking." She warned before leaving.

 ***17 Minutes Later***

A thin layer of sweat had broken out across Laura's forehead and she reached up to wipe it away with her sleeve. She was in the most dangerous part of town without backup or her service weapon. Kirsch wasn't answering the phone and Danny was on a date with Victoria. Not that she would ever admit it, but Carmilla had been right, this was not a good idea. In fact, it was already one of the worst decisions she had made on the job, and it could only get worse... she hadn't even gotten out of the car yet.

Taking a deep breath Laura scanned the streets with no idea what she was looking for exactly. The man on the phone hadn't really been all that forthcoming with his information, and Laura had zero experience with this kind of police work. Usually, she was trying to catch the murderers after the act, not trying to prevent them from ever doing it.

As she continued to inspect the different people milling about the sidewalk, a homeless man met her stare. They watched each other for several moments before an invisible force had Laura reaching for the door handle. As she exited the car, the man stood from the ground and made his way up the sidewalk. Ignoring common sense, Laura allowed the obscure urge within to lead the way. She crossed the street in hurry, desperate not to lose the strange man.

She followed him for several blocks before the tattered stranger disappeared from sight as he rounded the corner and entered a dark alleyway. The man was mysterious and magnetic, drawing the detective in like a lost puppy.

As Laura rounded the corner, she was met with a sharp a pain in her gut. A large set of hands came to rest over her mouth, muffling her anguished scream. Again, something sharp and heavy plunged into her abdomen and she let out a strangled cry. Reaching behind her head she tried to claw at the assailant's face but the stranger was much taller. Shifting tactics, the detective kicked back against the man's shins. He let out a deep grown and Laura used the opportunity to break free from his grasp.

Sprinting down the alleyway she reached down to check her aching stomach. When she pulled her hand back up it was covered in warm, sticky blood. The precious crimson flowed heavily from the two stab wounds in her abdomen, and pretty soon dark circles scattered her field of vision. Each passing second took with it more and more of Laura's energy. Before long, her legs gave out and she crumbled to the cold ground in a heap.

This time, as her consciousness faded, Laura didn't dream of a dark haired woman coming to save her.

This time she didn't dream at all.


	8. Chapter 8

There is nothing special about death. It isn't epic or romantic and there is no magnificent bright light or moment of transcendence. In all honesty, it's actually quite a dull experience. Or at least it was for Laura.

As she bled out on the cold pavement waiting for her life to end, nothing spectacular happened. The process was slow and boring. At first she was scared, but then everything went numb as the darkness spread. She vaguely remembered thinking what a massive let down the whole experience was, but then something happened.

Laura finally began to dream.

 _She was weightless, drifting mindlessly in the cool water. It felt nice against her heated skin, but she couldn't stay forever. Opening her eyes, she peered up at the distant surface and began to swim upward._

 _As her head broke through the water she sucked in a full breath. The oxygen filtered through her lungs and into her veins with a quiet sigh of relief. Running a hand through her wet hair, she shifted to float on her back._

 _The stars were bright and larger than life as they sparkled, suspended in the midnight sky. Tonight there was only a tiny sliver of moon, leaving Laura in relative darkness. She almost preferred it that way. There was something special about a dark night. It calmed her soul and gave her a sense of peace. Like a veil, it hid her from the world. In this place she felt free and sheltered... Perhaps that's why she always returned._

 _All around, the sounds of the forest hummed a soothing refrain. The birds and crickets joined together to create a haunting melody that sent shivers down Laura's spine. She never wanted to leave. This far away world was mysterious and safe, it offered her an escape from reality._

 _It was a bizarre sensation. Laura knew this place was her mind's way of dealing with the trauma, but it felt real. Everything from the water dancing beneath her, to the cool wind caressing her skin. There was no way it was only a dream, it had to mean more._

 _There was a rustling sound somewhere on the shore and Laura twisted upright in the water. She searched the tree line, looking for the source of the noise. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a dark figure emerging from the forest. At first it moved on all fours, like a tiger or panther, but then it quickly morphed into something more human. For whatever reason, Laura didn't feel frightened. Instead, she felt excited and slightly nervous. Her heart thumped rhythmically against her ribs and butterflies filled her stomach._

 _As the shadow came into better view, Laura realized it was the woman who'd haunted her dreams, the one who had rescued her from drowning. A wave of enchantment washed over Laura as she watched the dark haired stranger move in elegant, strong steps along the sand. Without thinking, she began to swim inland toward the woman. She watched as the stranger approached the water's edge and waited, her pale face glowing in contrast to the dark forest._

 _After a few moments Laura's toes met the sandy bank and she stood. Water dripped from her wet clothes as she walked slowly up the shore. The stranger's dark eyes watched her intensely, making Laura shiver. She let out a shaky breath, coming to a halt a few feet away._

 _The two stared at each other in silence for several long moments before the stranger moved her rose colored lips, "We have to go." She husked in a dark, melodic tone._

 _Laura drew in a sharp breath. She'd never heard the stranger speak before. "Why?" She questioned._

 _"There's no time to explain." The woman turned and began to walk back towards the forest._

 _A confused frown tugged at Laura's lips as she hurried after the woman, "Wait! Where are we going?"_

 _"Somewhere safe."_

 _The answer was hardly satisfying, causing Laura to let out a frustrated huff. As the two entered the forest an eerie howl sounded off in the distance. A frightened gasp slipped from Laura's lips as she looked off in the direction of the sound. Trees blocked her view, their limbs casting all kinds of creepy shadows. Swallowing, she turned back around and the dark haired stranger was gone._

 _Laura panicked, turning in a full circle. She looked around frantically but saw no trace of the stranger. A terrified whimper left her lips as a feeling of terror compressed her chest, making it hard to breathe. A branch snapped somewhere behind her and she jumped, glancing back to find only darkness. As she turned to face forward again, a scream tore from her lips before a warm hand covered her mouth._

 _"Quiet." The dark haired woman was back, a worried expression in her brown eyes. Her hand fell from Laura's mouth as she warned, "We have to go."_

 _Laura nodded frantically, relieved to be back in the stranger's presence. "Please don't leave me again." She begged, reaching out to take the woman's hand. Surprisingly, the stranger simply nodded before giving Laura's fingers a reassuring squeeze._

 _Then, without another word she turned and led Laura deep into the dark unknown._

* * *

 **Carmilla's POV**

 _Fuck._ Carmilla paced back and forth, running a frazzled hand through her hair. She'd done a lot of regrettable things in the last few centuries, but nothing as impulsive and stupid as this. It was as if all rationale had vanished. She hadn't even stopped to consider the consequences.

For someone so familiar with death, the sight of Laura's lifeless body had nearly torn Carmilla apart. Seeing the poor girl laying in a pool of her own blood had ignited an intense anger deep within, and for the first time in her life she hadn't stopped to think. It was as if a switch had been flipped and she'd gone on autopilot. Looking back, the whole situation was a blur of panicked instructions and blood. _So much blood._

That reminded Carmilla. Letting out a troubled sigh, she walked across her upscale apartment towards the kitchen. Laura would be waking up any minute and she was going to be thirsty. The girl had almost died back in the alleyway, and Carmilla knew first hand just how draining a near death experience could be.

As Carmilla filled the glass she tried not to think about the extreme she'd gone to in order to save Laura. Not only had it been reckless, but now she was stuck with the girl... at least until the side effects wore off. Over the last few hours Carmilla's concern had been gradually replaced with anger. To say that she regretted her choice would be a huge understatement. A massive drug shipment was due to arrive in a weeks time and she had better things to do than babysit some irritating human.

Carmilla closed her eyes and rolled her neck from side to side, trying to relieve the tension in her shoulders. It had been a very long week and it was about to get worse. Taking one last deep breath, she opened her eyes and made her way back into the living room. She set the glass of water on the coffee table, doing her best not to wake the tiny brunette on her couch. Despite her frustration with the annoying detective, Carmilla knew that Laura needed rest.

The fact that she cared at all irritated Carmilla beyond belief. It wasn't like her to grow attached to anyone... especially not a human. Yet, for some bizarre reason, she actually enjoyed spending time with the detective. Laura was a conundrum. Some moments she seemed so small and innocent, all Carmilla wanted to do was protect her. Then there were the moments that Laura was so bold and sexy that the darkness in Carmilla longed to possess her, simply because the thought of Laura with anyone else was dangerously infuriating.

Snapping out of the unsettling thoughts, Carmilla glanced down to find Laura's eyes fluttering open. The girl's features twisted in confusion as her amber eyes landed on Carmilla.

"Have a good nap?" Carmilla asked with an amused smirk.

"Carmilla?" Laura frowned, wincing in pain as she tried to sit up. "Where am I? What the hell is going on?"

Moving in vampire speed, Carmilla reached out to lay the detective back against the couch. "Easy." She ignored the stunned expression on the girl's face as she flashed over to retrieve the glass of water and returned in less than a second.

"Drink this." Carmilla instructed, her fingers brushing against Laura's as she passed over the cup.

Laura stared back with a shocked expression on her face. Carmilla waited a few moments, watching as the detective opened her mouth to speak before quickly closing it again. Her amber eyes searched Carmilla's frantically.

After a while Laura tore her eyes away and glanced down at her stomach. Dried blood covered her shirt and she shuttered. Carmilla watched as the detective hurried to pull her shirt up and check for damage. As her fingers brushed over the tan, smooth skin she looked back with eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't understand." Laura shook her head, "I was stabbed." She continued to run her fingers over her abdomen in disbelief.

"Yes, I know. I watched you chase the man down the alleyway. It was a stupid thing to do." Carmilla scolded as she walked over to sit on the couch next to Laura. She released a disapproving sigh, "I told you not to go alone."

"I'm a detective, it's my job." Laura rolled her eyes, "I can handle myself."

Carmilla gave the girl an annoyed glare, "You'd be dead if it weren't for me. Those stab wounds were fatal."

A heavy silence filled the room. This wasn't how Carmilla had planned the conversation. She'd spent a good hour trying to decide the best way to break the news to Laura. In the end, her decision had been to tell the entire truth. Now that she was actually about to do it, the idea was beginning to seem a lot worse.

"What do you mean they were fatal." Laura questioned, a feeling of dread clawing its way up her throat. "What did you do to me?"

Letting out a slow breath, Carmilla stood and walked across the room to the fireplace. She picked a picture frame up from the mantle. It was a portrait of her and her mother drawn back in 1698, right after Carmilla's eighteenth birthday. That had been the night her entire life changed forever. Now, three hundred years later, she refused to let the same thing happen to Laura.

"You were dying." Carmilla put the picture away and turned around, "I did what I had to do."

"And what exactly was that?" Laura asked nervously, not actually wanting to hear the answer.

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Carmilla walked over to sit in the chair across from Laura. She studied the detective for a moment with arms and legs crossed. There was no way to get out of the truth. If Carmilla wanted to protect Laura then she had to tell her.

Closing her eyes, Carmilla shoved all of her emotions down into the pits of her stomach. She tried to feel only cold and detached. But for some reason it was especially difficult this time. Standing, she stalked over to the couch and sat next to Laura, putting as little space between them as possible. If she could just tap into her darker nature, then telling Laura the truth would be so much easier.

See, that's the thing about being a centuries old vampire. People never respond well to finding out the truth. During her youth, Carmilla had been naive in trusting that her loved one's would understand. She thought that telling them about her condition would solve all of her problems. It hadn't. Instead, every single person Carmilla had loved, turned their backs on her with disgust. She was shunned and humiliated, branded a monster that needed to be held captive.

For almost 20 years, Carmilla had been chained up in the attic like some kind of stray animal. After escaping, Carmilla had made a promise to never love anyone again. That day she decided to embrace the monster within. For years she went about on a vicious killing spree, draining every man, woman, and child that crossed her path.

After coming off the bender, the lesson she'd learned was one of devastating proportions. Something deep within had changed forever. She could never go back to being the sweet, naive girl from her past. Love and rejection had ruined Carmilla. That's why she was terrified of telling Laura.

Reigning in her somber thoughts, Carmilla took a deep breath and slipped her steal mask into place. She met the detective's stare and said, "There are things in this world, Laura. Dark things that belong only in nightmares." She leaned in, one hand coming to rest on Laura's thigh while the other gently cupped the girl's chin. An electric tension passed between them and Carmilla reveled in the quickening of Laura's pulse.

"I am one of those things." Carmilla whispered, her hand dropping to lightly encircle Laura's throat. The pulse beneath Carmilla's grip was strong and steady, reminding her of what she'd done in the alley. "And now you have a piece of me. A piece of the darkness." Carmilla informed, her voice gravely and dark.

Laura sucked in a sharp breath and jerked away. She scooted back on the couch, putting distance between her and Carmilla. "What are you talking about?"

Carmilla regarded the detective for a moment before asking, "How do you want me to tell you?" She sighed, "Blunt or courteous? Those are your options."

"Just tell me." Laura shook her head, frustrated with Carmilla's casual attitude.

"Fine, have it your way." Carmilla mumbled under her breath. Licking her lips she filled her lungs and breathed out, "I'm a vampire." She spoke with a straight face, sounding bored.

The second the words processed, Laura jumped up. "What?!" She exclaimed, her pulse thundering throughout the quiet room.

"Sit back down." Carmilla sighed, running a hand through her hair. When Laura didn't listen she rolled her eyes and said, "If I wanted to hurt you I easily could have, but instead I saved you. So please, sit back down and let me explain." She watched as the detective's eyes darted around the room, probably looking for an exit. After several moments, Laura finally sat. She swallowed nervously and gave a hesitant nod.

"Good." Carmilla offered a closed-lip smile, "Honestly, this really shouldn't come as that much of a surprise." She shrugged.

"Are you insane!" Laura let out a harsh laugh, "The only reason I even remotely believe you right now, is because my injuries were some how miraculously healed and I have no better explanation for it."

"Come on Laura, you can't seriously tell me that finding that picture didn't make you suspicious. That combined with all the drained dead people lately, you couldn't have thought it was all a coincidence."

The detective bit down on her lip, shifting her gaze away from the girl's intimidating stare. If she were to be honest, Carmilla was right. But she would never say that out loud.

After a few moments she looked back at Carmilla and asked, "What did you do to me?"

"I didn't change you, if that's what your thinking." Carmilla answered, causing Laura to let out a relieved breath. "But I did make you drink some of my blood." She added, smirking at the horrified expression that fell over the detective's face.

"What!?" Laura grimaced, "That is disgusting! Why in the world-"

"Because you were dying and I'm a sucker for a pretty face." Carmilla interrupted. She flashed to the kitchen to grab a knife and was back sitting by Laura in seconds.

The detective startled, placing a hand over her chest. "Jesus." Laura let out a shaky breath, "Would you quit doing that? It's creeping me out."

Carmilla raised an amused eyebrow before shifting her gaze to the knife in her hand. Laura's eyes followed and she sucked in a breath when she noticed what the girl was holding. Carmilla licked her lips, glancing up at Laura. She waited for the detective to meet her stare before running the blade across the palm of her hand. Carmilla's face remained impassive as her skin split and blood began to flow.

Laura was quick to react, covering Carmilla's hand with both of her own. She pressed hard on the cut, trying to stop the bleeding. Glancing up with a frantic look of concern she asked, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Did you feel it?" Carmilla questioned, enjoying the warmth of Laura's hands against her skin. "The pain I was experiencing?"

A confused frown pulled at Laura's lips. She looked away and thought for a moment. Turning back to Carmilla she nodded, "Yes... I felt it." She whispered, a curious look in her amber eyes.

Carmilla nodded, withdrawing her hand. She held it up to demonstrate how she'd already healed. Then with a faint sigh she licked her lips and explained, "My blood is running in your veins, which means we now share a connection. We will know the second the other gets hurt... amongst other things." Carmilla trailed off, not really wanting to explain the other ways they were connected.

After taking a long moment to process, Laura shook her head and asked, "Is that why the stab wounds are gone? Because I drank your blood?"

"Yeah." Carmilla shifted on the couch. Her thigh brushed against Laura's and she bit down on her lip. The attraction she'd felt towards the detective before the alleyway had been almost crippling, now it was going to be down right torturous.

"This is insane." Laura dropped her head into her hands. "You're a vampire..." She whispered to herself, "What the actual fuck."

The comment made Carmilla smile. As she watched the detective try to make sense of the information, she felt the need to reach out and offer some kind of comfort. Unfortunately, Carmilla was not the affectionate type and had no idea how to soothe anyone. Let alone a distressed human who had just found out she'd drank vampire blood.

"There's something else." Carmilla spoke after a few moments.

"Oh god." Laura whined, peaking up through her fingers. "I don't think I can handle any more."

A strange sensation twisted Carmilla's stomach. She found herself drawing in a deep breath to combat the unexpected rush of empathy. Was that compassion she felt? No way.

Carmilla shook her head, trying to expel the thoughts. "You're not allowed to leave my side for the next few weeks." She straightened her spine in attempt to control her emotions. She didn't want to feel warm and affectionate, she wanted to be cold and detached.

"Excuse me?" Laura let out an ironic bark of laughter.

"No discussion." Carmilla frowned, daring the smaller girl to argue.

A disbelieving huff fell from Laura's lips as she spat out, "You can't make me do anything." She moved to stand, but before she could even get to her feet Carmilla was pushing her back onto the couch.

Carmilla looked down at the detective. "Don't test me." She warned darkly.

"Don't you dare try to overpower me." Laura scrambled to get up. "Just because you're some evil vampire doesn't mean you can treat me like shit." She placed her hands on Carmilla's shoulders and gave the girl a hard shove.

The action took Carmilla by surprise and she stumbled backwards a little before catching her balance. A murderous look filled her green eyes. Flashing over to Laura, she grabbed the girl by the throat, her grip firm but harmless. It wasn't the shove that had offended her, but rather the detective's words. _Evil vampire._

Laura was just like the rest.

"Do you have any idea what I could do to you?" Carmilla hissed, her voice so dark it sent chills down Laura's spine.

"You wouldn't hurt me." The detective swallowed, not quite believing the words herself.

"Of course I would." Carmilla glared, "I am a monster after all."

As the words left Carmilla's lips she felt a sharp twisting in her gut. Speaking the words out loud hurt. Deep down she knew that the only reason she was feeling so emotional was because of the connection she shared with Laura.

Having a human drink your blood was a strange experience for vampires. For Laura, she would experience bits and pieces of a vampire's nature; everything from they're strength to their special talents, such as compulsion and heightened senses. For Carmilla, she would experience pieces of human nature, things like emotions and the desire for relationships. Which is exactly why she never shared her blood, _ever._

Still, recognizing the source of her oversensitivity did little to change how Carmilla felt. It had been so long since she felt emotional pain that it was difficult to manage. She tried to swallow down the crappy feelings, but they refused to be buried. Instead, they burst from their hiding places with force, making it hard to breathe. Carmilla's throat ached as she tried to fight the rush of despair.

 _Where the hell is this coming from?_

Sensing that something was wrong, Laura hesitantly reached up, her hands coming to rest on Carmilla's forearms. "That's not what you are." She whispered, her brown eyes filled with worry and confusion.

To be honest Carmilla was just as confused with her sudden change in temperament. It was so unlike her. Not only was it totally embarrassing, but it was ruining her carefully constructed walls. The last thing she wanted was for Laura to start looking at her differently. The second her blood was circulated out of Laura's system Carmilla would go right back to the cold, indifferent vampire who couldn't careless about anybody or anything.

"Yes I am." Carmilla shook her head. The horrible feeling in her stomach was spreading and she hated it. There were centuries of blood on her hands. Innocent people had died at her mercy. Their lifeless, blood drained bodies still haunted her dreams. She was a monster. And she deserved to be treated like one. All of the hatred and disgust was warranted, and Carmilla knew that.

"You're not a monster." Laura spoke quietly, her fingers moving up and down Carmilla's forearms, caressing the cool skin. "You saved me. Monsters don't save people." She stared hard into Carmilla's dark eyes, trying to express her feelings on a deeper level.

"Whatever," Carmilla released a disgusted breath before yanking her hands away from Laura's throat. "Look at me. I can't even control myself around you."

"Well if it's any consolation, I sort of feel the same way."

That caught Carmilla's attention. She met Laura's shy stare and sighed, "It's because of my blood in your system. It has some side effects."

They stared at each other for several minutes before Laura nodded. Shifting a little on her feet she asked, "Why can't I leave your side?"

Carmilla ran a hand through her hair, feeling frustrated and tired. "If you die with my blood in your system then bad things will happen."

"Like what?" Laura's eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"You'll become a vampire." Carmilla answered bluntly.

An unidentifiable emotion passed over the detective's features. She glanced down, running a hand over her abdomen. Swallowing, she looked back up and said, "Okay."

"Okay?" Carmilla gave a confused look. "That's it? No arguing?"

Laura let out an amused huff, "It's probably just the connection thingy..." She trailed off with a sigh, "But I know that you'll keep me safe."

"I will." Carmilla nodded seriously. "I promise."

Laura regarded the brunette for a few moments before warning, "You're still a suspect in my murder investigation. This doesn't change anything." She stared boldly into Carmilla's eyes, "If you killed those girls I will find out, and I will put you in prison."

"Oh really?" Carmilla let out a short laugh, "Let's say I did, hypothetically of course. What makes you think you'd ever catch me?"

"I'm damn good at my job, Carmilla." Laura smirked, "Vampire or not, I always get my man... or in this case, my woman."


	9. Chapter 9

**Laura's POV**

"I have to go back." Laura winced as she slipped her arm through the leather jacket Carmilla was letting her borrow. "The cops are going to find the blood soon and I want to get there before they tape off the scene."

Even though her wounds had healed the soreness remained. It was a weird feeling, like a phantom ache that was worse than actual pain. But hey, that'll happen when a vampire forces their magical healing blood down your throat. To be honest, Laura was still in shock. She couldn't wrap her head around the situation and so as a coping mechanism, she decided it would be best to bury herself in work.

After her discussion with Carmilla she'd taken a long nap and now she was restless. The vampire blood in her system was strong and electric as it coursed through her veins. She felt tinglings of power and dark desires, but they were faint. The sensation appealed to parts of Laura she hadn't even known existed before and she found it to be terrifying.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Carmilla asked, leaning up against the wall near the door. Her eyes remained glued to the detective as Laura slipped on her worn out converse shoes.

Glancing up, she gave an annoyed glare, "Of course it's a good idea. Whoever fucking stabbed me is not getting away with it."

Carmilla held her hands up in defense. "Look, all I'm saying is that whoever attacked you already knows too much. Who's to say they aren't waiting for you as we speak?"

The detective frowned. "What do you mean?" She straightened up, looking at Carmilla with a suspicious scowl.

"Did you ever stop to question how that caller got your number? I mean, I'm assuming you didn't know who it was. The whole thing is obviously a set up...I think someone wants you dead."

That was a good point. Laura cursed herself for not thinking about it sooner. How _had_ they gotten her cell phone number?

"I don't know." Laura sighed, bending back down to tie her other shoe. "But I'm going back."

Carmilla let out a frustrated sigh and turned to leave the room. Laura watched as her alluring hips swayed with every step. Vampire or not, the girl was fucking sexy. There were plenty of reasons for Laura to fight her attraction to Carmilla and right now she couldn't think of a single one.

It could be the vampire blood in her system, but Laura had been feeling a little wild and wicked since waking up from her nap. Her thoughts had been alarmingly dark and her senses were heightened. Everything about Carmilla was sharper now: her smell, her looks, her undead heartbeat. All of it.

Then of course, there were the embarrassingly naughty daydreams she'd been having. Erotic, totally inappropriate fantasies that involved a bed and no clothing. Laura's skin honestly prickled every time Carmilla was within a five foot radius. She knew that drinking Carmilla's blood had changed the dynamics of their relationship, but it was unnerving just how connected Laura suddenly desired to be with the girl.

"I'm coming with you." Carmilla reentered the room, startling Laura from her corrupt thoughts. "I don't need a baby vamp on my hands after you die with my blood in your system."

"No." Laura huffed. "I'll be fine." The last thing she needed was a distraction. And Carmilla was the worst attention grabber of all. Seriously, did she always have to look so mysterious and sexy? It was kind of really annoying.

Carmilla raised an amused eyebrow. Retrieving a set of keys from the pocket of her dark jeans she said, "I'll drive."

As Carmilla moved to open the door, her body brushed against Laura's. "After you, princess." She smirked, knowing full well what the brief contact had done to the detective.

Laura let out an exasperated huff and stomped passed the brunette, "Bitch." She muttered under her breath knowing that Carmilla's vampire hearing would pick up the comment.

"You know I love when you talk dirty to me." Carmilla flashed over to Laura, whispering the words into her ear. The detective sucked in a fast breath and swallowed.

A satisfied smirk twisted Carmilla's lips as she walked ahead, leaving Laura to tame her racing pulse.

The sun was low in the evening sky as dusk approached. Carmilla eased her black Bentley up to the curb and chills pricked at Laura's arms. The streets were eerily desolate given the fact it was a Saturday evening.

"Alright," Carmilla turned so she could face the detective,"Tell me everything that happened."

Laura drew in a breath and explained, "I pulled up in my car, about here actually, and began to case the streets. I had no idea what I was looking for, but then I saw a man..." She trailed off, drifting away with the memory. "There was something about him, some sort of magnetic pull that lured me in. I got out of my car to follow... and I guess you know the rest." She breathed out, glancing over to meet Carmilla's intense stare.

The car was silent as the brunette looked at her in disbelief. "How many vampires do you know, shit." She let out an ironic huff of laughter before shaking her head.

"What?" Laura frowned.

Moving to unbuckle her seat belt, Carmilla pulled her keys from the ignition and sighed, "Sounds to me like a vampire using compulsion."

"What!? You guys can do that?"

"Only really old vampires." Carmilla answered sounding annoyed. "Which is bad news. Whoever's after you is strong." She said before reaching down to open her door and step outside.

Laura hurried to get out. By the time she'd circled around the car, Carmilla was already half way across the street. Stopping briefly to look both ways, Laura let out a frustrated huff and jogged over to catch up. "Seriously?" She panted, slowing down once she reached Carmilla's side.

"Ya." Carmilla led them down the sidewalk in the direction of the alley. "I have no idea how you got on a vamps radar, but you might want to lay low for a while." She warned. "At least until I can ask around and find out who you pissed off."

"How do you know I pissed them off?" Laura scoffed, having trouble keeping pace with the brunette's longer legs.

Carmilla gave her the, _are-you-kidding-me-right-now_ , look and then faced forward without a word. Frowning, Laura opened her mouth to sass the girl, but saw that they were almost there and decided against it.

They walked in silence for a few yards before turning into the dark alleyway. As Laura's eyes landed on the dried pool of blood she shuttered. Flashbacks of the attack bombarded her thoughts and her heart raced with relapsed fear. She could still feel the stranger's cold hands wrapped around her mouth, silencing her terrified screams. And as the awful metallic smell tickled her nose, she swore she could feel the sticky red liquid soaking through her clothes all over again.

Closing her eyes, Laura forced herself to calm down. _It's over. I'm perfectly fine._ She repeated the mantra in her head, attempting to slow her breathing and stop the flashbacks. The last thing she wanted was to relive the horrible nightmare.

Then, a warm hand came to rest on the small of Laura's back and she opened her eyes. Glancing up, she was met with a concerned stare.

"You're safe." Carmilla spoke quietly, her strong , raspy voice grounding Laura in comfort. The detective nodded wordlessly, hoping Carmilla would sense the intense appreciation she had for those words.

After a few more moments, Laura cleared her throat and stepped forward. Carmilla's hand fell from her back and the detective immediately missed the contact. "We.. uh.. should probably start looking for clues." She stuttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as a flustered habit.

"Right." Carmilla nodded. "And what exactly are we looking for?"

"Anything that will help us figure out who wants me dead."

The two split up in silence as they searched the dark alleyway. Laura welcomed the distance as she took a second to regroup. When Carmilla had touched her something tangible had passed between them. Words couldn't describe the instant rush of comfort and safety Laura had felt from the simple contact. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they touched more intimately.

 _Oh god._

The thought made the detective tremble. Messing around with that kind of connection would be dangerous. Something so strong could easily be used against them. She already had an unfortunate soft spot for the attractive vampire, the last thing she needed was to develop more profound feelings.

"Fuck."

Laura glanced up when she heard the mumbled curse fall from Carmilla's lips. "What is it?" She walked over to where the other girl was kneeling in the dirt.

Startled, Carmilla hurried to her feet. Shoving one hand in the pocket of her jeans, she used the other to hold up an old receipt. "It's nothing." She crumbled the paper up before tossing it to the side. "I thought it would be something we could use."

Laura gave her a suspicious look. She didn't believe the brunette for one second. Carmilla was obviously hiding something.

 _She's on your side remember?_

After lingering for a few seconds, Laura nodded. "Alright, well let's keep looking."

As the detective turned away, Carmilla pulled the necklace she'd found out of her pocket and frowned. The intricate panther carved into the small gold locket was undeniable. She had one just like it at home.

 _Shit._ Carmilla ran a flustered hand through her hair and hid the piece of jewelry back in her pocket. While it was in her best interest to keep the detective safe, Laura wasn't priority over family. Whoever was hunting the detective was a clan member, and so Carmilla would keep the necklace a secret. At least until she could find and question the vampire responsible.


End file.
